Thao Lam

Thao Lam is a Vietnamese-Canadian children's author and illustrator. She is the author and illustrator of children's books for Canadian children's publisher Owl Kids Publishing, the imprint of long-running Canadian children's magazine OWL (magazine). She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Her works are completed in a collage style, making use of brightly coloured paper, and are often wordless. She does not use any digital programs in her illustration, preferring to replicate shapes in layers of hand-cut paper rather than "copy and paste."

Lam came to Canada with her parents at the age of 3, as a refugee from Vietnam, part of the larger wave of Vietnamese refugees (Boat People) who have settled in Canada since the end of the Vietnam War. When Lam arrived in Canada, she had no knowledge of English. She credits picture books for helping her settle into life in Canada, particularly the works of children's author Robert Munsch and Dr. Seuss.

Lam studied illustration at Toronto's Sheridan College. After graduating, she began work as an art buyer and illustrator. Her illustrations have appeared in children's magazines Highlights Magazine and Cricket. Lam was a presenter at the 2016 edition of Toronto's International Festival of Authors, as part of the festival's Canadian Children's Literature Festival.

Her children's books to date often focus on themes of anxiety, belonging, and acceptance of difference. In particular, Wallpaper is about Lam's own experiences growing up very shy, feeling isolated as a newcomer, and "having a really hard time making friends... If I was experiencing that, maybe other kids were experiencing that too. " Wallpaper has been published in a Korean edition.

• Lam, Thao (2016). Skunk on a string. Toronto, ON: Owlkids. ISBN 978-1-77147-131-2. OCLC 915500644.
• Lam, Thao (2018). Wallpaper. Toronto, Ontario: Owlkids. ISBN 978-1-77147-283-8. OCLC 990234349.
• Lam, Thao (2019). My cat looks like my dad. Toronto, Ontario: Owlkids. ISBN 978-1-77147-351-4. OCLC 1049797774.

• Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Books of 2016 (Skunk on a String)
• Toronto Public Library's "First and Best 2016" list selection (Skunk on a String)
• Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books of 2018 (Wallpaper)
• New York Public Library's Best Books for Kids 2018 Picks (Wallpaper)
• Selected to Represent Canada in IBBY's Silent Books Collection, 2019 (Wallpaper)
• Winner of School Library Journal's the Most Astonishingly Unconventional Children's Books of 2019 (My Cat Looks Like My Dad)