From: 'Mamma Mu och Kråkan leker' (2015).
Micaela Favilla is an Argentina-born Swedish children's book author and illustrator, working for the publishers Rabén & Sjögren, Natur & Kultur and Hatten Förlag. Since 2015, she also draws comic books based on the 'Mamma Mu' novel series by Jujja Wieslander.
Early life and career
Micaela Favilla was born in 1974 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was raised in Sweden, first living in the city of Växjö in the Småland region, and then in Haninge, near Stockholm. Eventually settling in Stockholm, she began her career working in animation for games and films. Since 2008, she makes illustrations for children's books, educational material, activity books and crossword puzzles.
Illustration from the 'Morgan och piraterna' book 'Sjöodjuret' (2012).
Illustrator
Early in her illustration career, Favilla illustrated puzzle books for the publishers Gammafon (starring Mats Wänblad's 'Bolibompa' character) and Barnens Bokklubb. Later on, she made drawings for many thematic children's crossword puzzle books, as well as activity books with licensed characters like Tove Jansson's 'Mumin' ('The Moomins'), Jujja Wieslander's 'Mamma Mu' and Martin Widmark and Helena Willis' 'LasseMajas Detektivbyrå Agency'.
Favilla has worked extensively with the Rabén & Sjögren publishing house, illustrating picture book series about the dragon 'Bolibompa' (2010-2012) and the pirate 'Morgan och piraterna' (2012-2017), both written by Mats Wänblad. For the same publisher, she illustrated chapter books starring six-year old soccer fan 'Ludde' by Viveca Lärn (2010). In 2018 and 2019, Favilla illustrated installments in the 'Snicksnacksnoken' series of sound and language stimulating children's books, written by speech therapist Elvira Ashby for Hatten Förlag.
From: 'Lillis och äkta kompisarna' (2019).
For Natur & Kultur, a publisher of teaching material, Favilla made drawings for the chapter book series 'Läshoppet' ("The Reading Jump", 2014-2018) and a reading aloud book for pre-school classes, 'Hela året med Tellus och Luna' ("All year with Tellus and Luna", 2017), written by Johan Rundberg. Also for Natur & Kultur, she illustrated teaching aids for primary school teachers and workbooks for mathematics and English langauge. With Sonja Reuterskiöld, she illustrated a series of reading books for publisher Liber, tying in with Livet i Bokstavslandet ('Life in the Land of Letters'), an educational children's TV show about the alphabet and the Swedish language.
Author
In 2019, Micaela Favilla made her debut as a writer at Rabén & Sjögren with 'Lillis', a chapter book series for beginning readers about a girl who loves sports. Natur & Kultur released her 2020 illustrated reading book 'V som i Väpplarna', related to the teaching aid program Väpplarna. 'Ett Enda Stort Skämt' ("One Big Joke", 2021) - published by Lilla Piratförlaget - was her first book for teenagers, dealing growing up, feelings and relationships.
Comics
Since 2015, Micaela Favilla and the colorist Elin Fahlstedt collaborate on a series of comic books based on the 'Mamma Mu och Kråkan' by Jujja Wieslander, about the friendship between a cow and a crow. Based on the drawings of the original book series illustrator Sven Nordqvist, Favilla and Fahlstendt have released 'Mamma Mu firar Kråkan' ("Mama Moo celebrates the Crow", 2015), 'Mamma Mu och Kråkan leker' ("Mama Moo and the Crow are playing", 2015) and 'Mamma Mu och Kråkan på utflykt' ("Mama Moo and the Crow on an Excursion", 2016), all published by Rabén & Sjögren.
From: 'Mamma Mu och Kråkan på utflykt' (2016).