Storyteller, Director, author, Illustrator

Ashlyn Anstee was born in a rainy city (Vancouver, BC), studied in a snowy city (Toronto, ON), and settled in a sunny city (Los Angeles, CA), where she lives with her husband Grant, and far too many cats.

She’s an award-winning author and illustrator of many books for children. Her work spans board books, picture books, and graphic novels. “Hedgehog!” was a Dolly Parton Imagination Library pick. Her graphic novel “Shelby and Watts: Tide Pool Troubles” was the Knox County One Book pick in 2024.

Ashlyn is also an Emmy-nominated writer, supervising director, and storyboard artist. She’s worked at places like Netflix, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and more. Some of her favorite gigs so far have been Jessica’s Big Little World, Adventure Time: Distant Lands, and Trash Truck.

She loves working with kids, and has run workshops at 826LA, Film2Future, Los Angeles Public Library, and more. She’s a collaborator with the Center for Scholars & Storytellers, and has an Early Childhood Education Associate Teaching Certificate from UCLA.

On the web

You can find sketches, recent work, and more on her Instagram.

She runs a weekly newsletter called “For the Fun of It” over on Substack.

Let’s tell stories together!

For animated tv/film inquiries contact Matthew Ellis and Bradford Bricken at Cartel Entertainment: matthew.ellis@cartelent.com & bradford@cartelent.com

For book/publishing inquiries, please contact Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency: kelly@andreabrownlit.com

For live action voice/acting (SAG-E), please contact Almond Talent: info@almondtalent.com

For all other inquiries, you can reach Ashlyn directly: ashlyn.anstee@gmail.com

Are We There, Yeti? (Simon & Schuster, BFYR)
No, No, Gnome! (Simon & Schuster BFYR)
Hedgehog! (Penguin Random House, Tundra) 
The Grumpy Pirate (illustrations, Scholastic)
Little Narwhal (illustrations, Greystone Kids)
Shelby and Watts - Tidepool Troubles (Penguin Random House, Viking)
Shelby and Watts - A Mountain of a Problem (Penguin Random House, Viking)
Boop the Snoot (Penguin Random House, Viking)
Tickle Tickle, Little Tum (Penguin Random House, Viking)