Born in Sri Lanka and raised in Scarborough, Ontario, Salini Perera is an accomplished children’s books illustrator. Her titles include Beautiful You, Beautiful Me; Hiders Seekers Finders Keepers: How Animals Adapt in Winter; and All the Faces of Me. This month, she’ll be stepping into the role of illustrator in residence for the Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books at the Toronto Public Library. Perera’s latest picture book, It’s Okay, Just Ask (Owlkids Books, out now), explores immigration with curiosity and sensitivity.  

What sparked your interest in illustration?
Just looking at books as a child. I was always more fascinated by the illustrations than the text, to the point where my parents were worried that I wasn’t able to read, but I was just more interested in the pictures. I would pore over the illustrations.  

Were there any books that were especially intriguing to you? 
I had a book of fairy tales. My mom used to work for Xerox, and they did print promotions for Petro-Canada that included a series of giant-sized storybooks, and she got me the whole set. There was a book of Greek myths that was really great, and a book called Snow White in New York, which I loved.  

Can you speak about who or what has been a major influence on your illustrating style? 
My favourite contemporary illustrators right now are Christian Robinson, Carson Ellis, and my favourite of all time, Jillian Tamaki.

Did you know from the outset that you wanted to illustrate children’s books? 
I always thought it would be very cool, but I didn’t really think of it as something I could do because I didn’t see a lot of illustrators who looked like me. And, weirdly enough, the first time I saw an illustrator who looked like me it was a fictional character on the television show Blossom. They introduced a character in a later season called Shelley, and she was a Black woman and a children’s illustrator. Obviously they existed, but it wasn’t something I was exposed to as a child. Throughout my time at school I thought, “Oh, I’d love to work in art,” but I wasn’t quite good enough. I went to high school, and again I felt like I wasn’t there. I went to film school and that wasn’t a welcoming environment for people of colour, or for women, and I realized how much I disliked it by the time I finished. I was looking to go back to school, and I found this program at Seneca College for independent illustration; so prepping to be a freelancer, I applied, got in, and started working on illustration. I loved it, and I wasn’t as bad as I thought I was. 

What is your medium of choice? 
I would love to do more traditional work. When I was in school, I used to work with paper a lot, and that was such a treat, but it’s just not something that’s very feasible given the time constraints and space constraints. I rely on digital tools only because I can get work done faster. If I could have it my way, I would love to devote an entire year to a book. 

What do you do to nurture your passion for illustration? 
I feel like you should always be trying to grow and evolve. I love to stop during my walks and take a picture because the colour is really pretty. My phone is filled with the most ridiculous photos! I like to take a lot of reference photos when I’m working to create a mood board. I love art books – I bought three giant books about carpets at an auction, and I’m really excited to delve into them. 

What do you hope readers take away from It’s Okay, Just Ask?
I want them to feel safe, especially with how much anti-immigrant rhetoric there is right now. 

If you could illustrate any classic children’s book, which would it be, and why?
I’ve thought about this many times. There are two contenders: Little Women or Anne of Green Gables. I have a lot of siblings, so Little Women has a very special place in my heart because of that. It’s also super Christmassy, and I love Christmas. And Anne of Green Gables is such a delight.

Read Q+As with Julie Morstad and Bridget George.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Photo Credit: Alison Matthews David.