Alicia Carbo-Guha

I was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain. From an early age, I loved art, storytelling, and discovering the world around me. Before college, I traveled extensively, and those experiences broadened my perspective and stayed with me.

After earning my degree in graphic design, I worked at advertising agencies in Madrid and later in Toronto, where I met my husband. Over the years, our family made a home in both Canada and Spain. Our first daughter, Vanessa, was born in Halifax, and our second daughter, Sharmila, was born in Barcelona.

Our family life, shaped by different cultures, languages, and experiences, has deeply influenced the themes I care about most in my books: respect for nature, kindness, fairness, and understanding others.

While in Barcelona, I had the opportunity to work with the literary agent Carmen Balcells. That experience gave me my first close look at the world of publishing. Later, while working in marketing, I completed further studies in the field and took on international roles that allowed me to travel widely. Although I enjoyed that work, I felt increasingly drawn to creating something of my own.

That turning point came in 1992, when I came across personalized children’s books and was struck by their potential. I believed that making children the protagonists of a story would draw them in and offer a meaningful way to introduce important topics. Because I cared deeply about nature and conservation, I decided to write and illustrate a book on that theme, with extensive personalization.

In 1993, I wrote and illustrated Buku i la Natura. I founded Ediciones Ipse and published the book in Catalan under a pen name. Spanish and English editions followed soon after. Later that year, just before Christmas, Buku i la Natura was featured on national TV as one of the five best children’s books of the year, and I was ecstatic.

As the book gained momentum, I received government support and moved from my home office to the Barcelona Activa incubator. Over the next few years, while printing on demand, distributing, marketing, and selling the books, I also wrote and illustrated Buku i les Normes and began a new series called Abracadabra. Those years were busy and exciting, and I could never have done it without the support of my family.

Buku i la Natura and Buku i les Normes were exhibited at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy. We also traveled across Spain promoting the books, and those years left me with many happy memories. Buku sparked wonderful family conversations about nature, rules, tolerance, and ideas for future stories. In 1995, I published Miki and the Gold Pendant and Sitar and the King of Ak-ku in Catalan, Spanish, and English.

In the late 1990s, our family moved back to Toronto. Since then, I have continued working in marketing, most recently in the aerospace sector, while always keeping my creative side alive.

In 2020, I found myself revisiting my first Buku book. Since its original publication, the environmental challenges facing our planet had become even more urgent. What began as a review gradually became a new book: Saving Nature. That project also led me to reimagine the series for today’s readers. I decided that Adventures with Buku would no longer be personalized, and I introduced new characters: Malena, Oli, and Samu.

Today, through Adventures with Buku, I write and illustrate children’s books that invite young readers to think, ask questions, and explore important topics in a way that feels imaginative, accessible, and engaging.