Hatem Aly is the illustrator of the children's picture book Egyptian Lullaby, written by Zeena M. Pliska. It was the winner of the 2024 Children's Africana Book Award for best picture book. His other books include The Proudest Blue. Born in Egypt, he lives in New Brunswick, Canada.
Q: How did you come to illustrate Egyptian Lullaby?
A: It was a fun book to read when I first got the manuscript, but illustrating it was intimidating! The text appears to grow larger over time while also demanding more details, and I had to decide how the pictures would flow with the words.
The book's structure proposed the challenge of working in two different settings: the auntie's real life of visiting, interacting with family, and telling stories about Cairo, and how Cairo looks and sounds in their minds.
I tried to take advantage of this challenge by creating two distinct atmospheres that could easily blend together. So it turned out to be a super fun book to illustrate.
Q: How did you decide on the style you used to illustrate the story?
A: The book contains two styles. So the one with the main characters is more defined, grounded, and contained. The characters are drawn in lines, which gives them a more solid and consistent presence. The other style that we see in Cairo is more imaginative and chaotic.
The idea was to make it a mix of memories and imaginative elements. As the auntie sings her lullaby and describes Cairo, the girl creates an image based on things she has seen in real life, pictures or videos, and things she has touched, smelled, or heard about before, as well as things she has never experienced.
So it is less about making sense and more about reconstructing a scene using all of the information she has so far and as the story progresses. It has a playful tone! And dreamy, with connections to the real world. So the style was similar.
Q: The Publishers Weekly review of the book says, “Similarly
layered are Aly’s digital illustrations, which include fields of pattern and
color, scribbly elements, and scanned photos and textures, all of which suggest
the lively city of the family’s experience and memory.” What do you think of
that description?
A: I think it is pretty cool! I am glad to hear it left that impression.
Q: What do you hope kids take away from the book?
A: I want them to have fun taking a tour of the city through the book. And to return to discover new things they missed the first time. And to be curious about what they read and saw.
I hope it gives a sense of the city's vibe to those who are unfamiliar while also honoring the memories and longings of those who are familiar.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am working on a couple of exciting projects, but I will not be able to tell you much about them just yet.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: The Boldest White, the third companion book by the same team that created The Proudest Blue, will be released in September. I am quite excited about this one.
I will also be doing more mentoring for book illustrators and trying to help as much as possible. The world has not been kind to some people recently, making it even more important to band together and help one another. I am also trying to devote more time to writing, but there are no plans to publish anything yet.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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