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Ashley Bryan

Words to My Life's Song

By Ashley Bryan
Illustrated by Ashley Bryan / Photographer Bill McGuinness

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About The Book
Ashley's autobiography is full of art, photographs, and the poignant never-say-never tale of his rich life, a life that has always included drawing and painting. Even as a boy growing up during the Depression, he painted -- finding cast off objects to turn into books and kites and toy and art. Even as a solder in the segregated Army on the beaches of Normandy, he sketched -- keeping charcoal crayons and paper in his gasmask to draw with during lulls. Even as a talented, visionary art student who was accepted and then turned away from college upon arrival, the school telling Ashley that to give a scholarship to an African American student would be a waste, he painted -- continuing to create art when he could have been discouraged, continuing to polish his talents when his spirit should have been beaten. Ashley went on to become a Hans Christian Anderson Award nominee, a May Hill Arbuthnot lecturer, and a multiple Coretta Scott King award winner. As you might imagine, his story is powerful, bursting with his creative energy, and a testament to believing in oneself. It's a book every child in America should have access to and it does what the very best autobiographies do; it inspires!

About The Author
Photo Credit:
Ashley Bryan

Ashley Bryan (1923–2022) grew up to the sound of his mother singing from morning to night, and he shared the joy of song with children. A beloved illustrator, he was named a Newbery Honoree for his picture book, Freedom Over Me. He also received the Coretta Scott King—Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, was a May Hill Arbuthnot lecturer, a Coretta Scott King Award winner, and the recipient of countless other awards and recognitions. His books include Freedom Over Me; Sail Away; Beautiful Blackbird; Beat the Story-Drum, Pum Pum; Let It Shine; Ashley Bryan’s Book of Puppets; and What a Wonderful World. He lived in Islesford, one of the Cranberry Isles off the coast of Maine.

About The Illustrator
Photo Credit:
Ashley Bryan

Ashley Bryan (1923–2022) grew up to the sound of his mother singing from morning to night, and he shared the joy of song with children. A beloved illustrator, he was named a Newbery Honoree for his picture book, Freedom Over Me. He also received the Coretta Scott King—Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, was a May Hill Arbuthnot lecturer, a Coretta Scott King Award winner, and the recipient of countless other awards and recognitions. His books include Freedom Over Me; Sail Away; Beautiful Blackbird; Beat the Story-Drum, Pum Pum; Let It Shine; Ashley Bryan’s Book of Puppets; and What a Wonderful World. He lived in Islesford, one of the Cranberry Isles off the coast of Maine.

Product Details
  • Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (January 6, 2009)
  • Length: 64 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781416905417
  • Ages: 4 - 99

Awards and Honors
  • ALA Notable Children's Books
  • ILA Teachers' Choices
  • CCBC Choices (Cooperative Children's Book Council)
  • NYPL 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
  • Maine Student Book Award Reading List
  • NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts
  • ILA Notable Books for a Global Society
  • Parents' Choice Gold Award Winner
  • The Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration
  • Norman A. Sugarman Children's Biography Honor Award
  • Bank Street Best Books of the Year - with Outstanding Merit
  • Lamplighter Award Nominee (TX)
  • Cleveland Public Library Celebrate With Books Selection

Resources and Downloads

Common Core Suggestion

Ashley Bryan STEAM Curriculum Guide (pdf)

High Resolution Images

Ashley Bryan

Words to My Life's Song

By Ashley Bryan
Illustrated by Ashley Bryan / Photographer Bill McGuinness

LIST PRICE $19.99

PRICE MAY VARY BY RETAILER

Free shipping when you spend $40. Terms apply.

Buy from Other Retailers

See More Retailers

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