Tobbala started writing books for children in 2005, at the age of 64. She collaborated with the aquarelle painter Adly Rezkallah, to produce her first book The Silver Fish, which was awarded a mention in the New Horizon's category of the Ragazzi Award of the Bologna Children's Book Fair, one of the most important awards for children's books internationally, and Egypt's Award for Children's Literature (then called Suzan Mubarak prize), which is the most important award for children's books on the national level.