Hala Tahboub Children’s book writer and illustrator from Montreal, Canada

I worked in architecture and other design related fields for several years. One day, I decided to tell a story about two friends, and it was the picture book medium that worked best for telling that particular story. It was my first experience writing and illustrating a book. I enjoyed so much, I couldn’t stop.

I don’t think there’s a limit to what can inspire me. It can be a good story, a work of art, or an unexpected act of kindness. Sometimes I get inspired by something as simple as a funny comment, a single line in a book, or a bent piece of discarded wood. Artists’ first sketches are also a source of inspiration. Biographies often affect me too, as does the Physics of things. The way people interact with one another can be the trigger for some ideas as well.

I listen to the radio while I work. There are times when I play certain pieces or songs on repeat, but it’s mostly the radio that keeps me company.

My little studio at home is where I like to do all my work.

A good illustrator is able to create images that add to a certain text, rather than act as mere interpretations of that text. Without a good illustrator’s images, a story is no longer complete.

This illustration of a little boy playing ball is very dear to my heart because it was the very first sketch I made of Kevin. ("Kevin Goes" first is set for publication in fall 2023 by HarperCollins Publishers).

Sometimes work flows like a river. It feels effortless. Other times, thinking and experimenting are the only ways to get to a good idea. I think the best thing to do when faced with an illustrator’s block is to accept the fact that it happens, and to not try too hard to work against it. Long walks, especially in places where I’m surrounded by trees, help me when I’m feeling impatient.