Ashley Bryan is a children’s author and illustrator who wasn’t published until he was forty years old. He mainly focuses on the African American experiences and subjects. He focuses on African American history, folktales, and spirituals. He is the first African American who published a book he wrote and illustrator.

His poems and books are lyrical and use alliteration and onomatopoeia. You can use his work Beat the Story Drum, Pum-Pum to introduce folktales connecting to the Social Studies 1th grade TEKS.