Isabelle Arsenault

Isabelle Arsenault studied at Université du Québec à Montréal. The recorded working language is French. Distinctions recorded are Governor General's Award for French-language children's illustration, Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration, Shuster Award for Outstanding Artist and Alvine-Bélisle Prize.

Born in Sept-Îles, Quebec, Arsenault and her family moved to Île-Bizard and lived there much of her adolescent life. As a child Arsenault took part in a contest for illustration, that her local newspaper was holding at the time for Christmas. It was at this stage in her life that she had realized her passion for artistic endeavors, and this was made more apparent by her winning the contest. She notes "I understood that I really enjoyed drawing, and I could use my ability to create something unique". Arsenault spent many of her childhood years never going to art schools, as she was not aware that art was to become her future profession. However, she did take various arts studies within her Secondary school education. It was through her various art classes that teachers inspired her. She claims she would spend hours at a time on art through various mediums outside of her classroom.

In 2005, she won the Governor General's Award for French-language children's illustration for Le Coeur de Monsieur Gauguin; the text was by Marie-Danielle Croteau. She won the same award in 2013 for her illustration of the graphic novel Jane, le renard et moi with text by Fanny Britt; this book also won the Joe Shuster Award for outstanding artist, the Prix Bédélys and the Prix Réal-Fillion and the English translation Jane, the fox and me was named to the New York Times list of the ten best illustrated books for children for 2013. Migrant, illustrated by Arsenault, was named to the New York Times' list for 2011. In 2012, she won the Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration for Virginia Wolf; Kyo Maclear provided the text. Additionally, in 2020 IBBY Canada nominated Isabelle Arsenault with the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her accomplishments towards the ongoing expansion of children's literature were noteworthy enough to consider her for nomination.

• Illustration — example Arsenault attributes her style to doodling early drafts as rough as possible, so to understand the overall visual story she wishes to produce. Arsenault explains in her blog that it grants her a level of freedom that allows for her emotions at the time of finalization to be expressed through her art. Much of her style is derived from her experimental improvisational approach, filled with potential mistakes.

• Year — Title — Illustrator — ISBN — Publisher • 2008 — My letter to the World — Isabelle Arsenault — Kids Can Press • 2010 — Spork — Isabelle Arsenault — Kids Can Press • 2011 — Virginia Wolf Migrant — Isabelle Arsenault — Kids Can Press Groundwood Books • 2012 — Once upon a northern night Jane, le renard & moi — Isabelle Arsenault — Groundwood Books PASTEQUE • 2014 — Alpha — Isabelle Arsenault — PASTEQUE • 2016 — Louis Parmi Les Spectres You Belong Here Cloth Lullaby, The woven life of Louise Bourgeois — Isabelle Arsenault — PASTEQUE Compendium Inc Harry N. Abrams • 2017 — Colette's Lost Pet — Isabelle Arsenault — Tundra Books • 2018 — Captain Rosalie The Honey Bee — Isabelle Arsenault — Candlewick Atheneum Books for Young Readers • 2019 — Just Because Albert's Quiet Quest — Isabelle Arsenault — Candlewick Tundra Books • 2021 — Maya's Big Scene — Isabelle Arsenault — Tundra Books