Thao Lam
Thao Lam in 2022
Occupation	Author, Illustrator
Genre	Children's picture books
Website
thaolam.com

Thao Lam is a Vietnamese-Canadian children's author and illustrator. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Her works are completed in a collage style.^[1]

Biography

Lam came to Canada with her parents at the age of 3,^[2] as a refugee from Vietnam.^[3] She credits picture books for helping her settle into life in Canada, particularly the works of children's author Robert Munsch and Dr. Seuss.^[3]

Lam studied illustration at Toronto's Sheridan College.

Boat People, co-directed with animator Kjell Boersma based on Lam's 2020 book The Paper Boat, won the award for Best Animated Short Film at the 2023 Calgary International Film Festival.^[4]

Works

• 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.
• Lam, Thao (2020). The Paper Boat. Toronto, Ontario: Owlkids. ISBN 978-1771473637. OCLC 1131689156.
• Lam, Thao (2021). THAO: A Picture Book. Toronto, Ontario: Owlkids. ISBN 978-1771474320. OCLC 1159471949.
• Lam, Thao (2022). The Line In The Sand. Toronto, Ontario: Owlkids. ISBN 978-1771475709. OCLC 1287285495.
• Lam, Thao (2023). Happy Birthday To Me. Toronto, Ontario: Owlkids. ISBN 978-1773068725. OCLC 1322065170.

Awards and nominations

• Toronto Public Library's "First and Best 2016" list selection (Skunk on a String) ^[5]
• Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books of 2018 (Wallpaper)^[6]
• New York Public Library's Best Books for Kids 2018 Picks (Wallpaper)^[7]
• Selected to Represent Canada in IBBY's Silent Books Collection, 2019 (Wallpaper)^[8]
• Winner of School Library Journal's the Most Astonishingly Unconventional Children's Books of 2019 (My Cat Looks Like My Dad)^[9]