Ashley F. Bryan (July 13, 1923 – February 4, 2022) was an American educator, children's writer and illustrator of children's books. His books were mainly about the African American experience. He was U.S. nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2006 and he won the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in 2009. His picture book "Freedom Over Me" received a Newbery Honor. Bryan was born in Harlem, New York.