I am Anita Tran. At my core, I’m big, bright, fierce, and loving. I write and illustrate for children because books are sanctuaries - safe places to discover, hide, adventure, and dream. Stories are places confidently traveled to in lines, words, and spaces where a symphony of sounds and syllables captivates the imagination. 

Raised in a Polish-speaking community, mastering English was challenging. I was discouraged from pursuing the arts. After detours into accounting and teaching, my irrepressible drive to create prevailed. 

My stories reflect my journey interwoven with messages of courage, perseverance, and hope, transcending culture and language. They encourage creative confidence, inspiring readers to drive change through action. Titles like ‘The Carousel’ portray the power of love in healing, ‘Naia’s Island’ celebrates community strength, and ‘Corgi Cookies’ demonstrates that against overwhelming odds, determination can find a brighter future.  

I received an MFA in Illustration from the Academy of Art in San Francisco and was awarded runner-up in the 2019 Academy of Art Spring Show. I live in the Bay Area with my daughters Beatrix and Ella and husband Thai, with whom I discover creativity through inquisitiveness and play (jamming, book binding, fiber arts, foraging and making gifts).

Select Clients: Academy of Art University, Redwood City, Skype, Frontdesk.ai and They Played For Their Lives.

Exhibitions: Pacific Art League, Palo Alto Art Center, Frank Bette Center for the Arts, The Academy of Art San Francisco

For inquiries Anita can be reached at anitatranillustration (at) gmail.com