About

Hello! I’m Momoko (and surname is Abe, pronounced as “Ah-beh”). I am a London-based author-illustrator from Japan. I absolutely adore children’s books. My first self-penned picture book Avocado Asks (Orchard Books 2020) won Spark Kingston & Richmond Children’s Book Awards in 2021.

I am represented by Eunice McMullen.

MY STORY SO FAR…

I came from a family of bookworms and I grew up in a house made of book shelves (my grandpa was a poet, my dad was a writer and my mum was a school teacher), where I was allowed to doodle on the walls (or I thought I was). As a child, I made up stories and doodled all the time – on notebooks, furniture, walls and even back of exam papers! As a grownup, I am pretty much the same although I don’t draw on furniture that much any more.

My interest in visual storytelling brought me to the UK to study filmmaking when I was 20. Although I still work in the TV/film industry, I decided to pursue my true passion for children’s book illustration. Since then, I’ve attended workshops and short evening courses and mainly taught myself how to make picture books by reading lots of books and meeting many picture book makers. 6 years later, my first book, Avocado Ask (Orchard Books) was published.

I like dynamic compositions and beautiful colour combinations, and animals and food are my favourite subjects to draw. Although I mostly create my artwork on computer these days, I still enjoy using both traditional media such as gouache paints and colour pencils.

London is now my second home. I enjoy living here with my cat, Clementine. And here I am. This is my story so far. (I did classic ballet for 15+ years and I have applied for the Great British Bake Off once but these are stories for another time.)

© Momoko Abe
All illustrations on this site are protected by copyright. Any reproduction or use without permission is strictly prohibited.