Houssam El Ghallal was born in Tétouan, Morocco. He studied and worked in Europe for several formative years, in Italy, France and London, before returning home. He now lives and works in Tétouan, where he keeps his studio.

His love of drawing grew out of a fascination with narrative world-building and visual storytelling. He wanted to give shape to the stories he carried inside him and to the things he observed in the world, and picking up a pencil was the natural way to do it.

Three milestones define his path so far: a monumental wood and bronze sculpture created for County Hall Arts in London, a large-scale public mural made with the JIDAR Street Art Festival in Morocco, and an animation writing residency with NEF Animation at the Abbaye de Fontevraud in France.

With Agafay Books, he illustrated Le Sage Zéro in the collection Bab Al-Jabr, and he will continue with the other books in the series, which aim to simplify mathematics for children.

His studio in Tétouan is full of raw materials, sculpting tools and color swatches, where he sculpts wood, paints and sketches. He organizes the space like a puzzle, with pieces of different projects feeding into one another. His daily routine is a careful notebook sketching practice, accompanied by a strong cup of traditional coffee. Close friends and fellow creators are part of his process, and he often tests early character sketches and story ideas on them.

Asked what he hopes for young readers, he says: “I hope children who read my book will feel inspired to see the world as a giant puzzle full of magic and curiosity.”