Best illustrated books all over the world
This Is Rome is one of those books where you open the first spread and immediately feel the weight of centuries settling around you, but in Šašek’s playful way, never solemn, never heavy. Rome in his hands is not a postcard city polished for tourists, it’s a living place, a […]
The Adventures of Cipollino tells the story of the brave little onion boy who stands up against injustice in a world of fruit and vegetable characters. Gheorghe Zlobin’s illustrations bring this playful tale to life with bright, energetic drawings full of movement and personality. Zlobin’s style is unusual and lively: […]
Original title: Бочонок собачонок Boris Zakhoder’s The Barrel-Pup is a joyful collection of poems filled with humor, imagination, and that unmistakable spark of childlike wonder. Here live an elephant, a bear, a goat and, of course, countless dogs and puppies. They are not just animals, but characters with their own […]
Stephen Gammell is one of the most recognized masters of visual horror. His most famous work in this genre remains the series of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. These collections were published over the course of a decade, until Schwartz’s death in 1992. Decades later, […]
Original title: Чудесная волынка Rafail Volsky brings to life magical and everyday tales, richly infused with authentic Czech and Slovak customs and historical realities. Among these, the stories of Jánošík, the legendary Slovak hero and defender of the oppressed hold a special place in the hearts of readers. The books […]
Halloween ABC (Eve Merriam, illustrations by Lane Smith) is a darkly playful alphabet book of twenty-six short poems, each keyed to a Halloween word. Published in 1987, the volume pairs Merriam’s rhythmic, often macabre verses with Smith’s moody, painterly images; the illustrations (oil on board) use shadow and a restricted […]
In A Halloween Happening, a community of witches invites children to a Halloween party full of magical mischief. The witches build a giant tower of jack-o’-lanterns, complete with a batwing glider platform at the top, while preparing toad tarts, worm waffles, and candy bats. Adams’ dark, muted palette and detailed […]
Charles Perrault’s Puss in Boots has attracted generations of illustrators since its first publication in 1697 — and yet Fred Marcellino’s version still feels completely new. His cover alone breaks every convention: a witty feline face dressed in Renaissance finery stares straight at the viewer, without a single word of […]
Alison Lester began illustrating books in 1986, and just four years later her Imagine broke all sales records in Australia, becoming the number-one children’s bestseller. And I can completely understand why. To my taste, this is exactly how an educational, illustrated children’s book should be. Lester seamlessly combines several techniques […]
Sylvester loves collecting pebbles — small treasures that usually don’t change anything. But one day he finds a red one, and the world shifts just a little: suddenly any wish can take shape. In a moment of fear things go wrong, and Sylvester ends up quite literally out of reach. […]
Vladimir Kanevsky was known not only for his art but also for his warmth and presence. Friends and readers remember him as generous, playful, and attentive, sharing his world through drawings, personal notes, and stories.
A timeless picture book where poetry, color, and kindness meet. Beni Montresor’s jewel-like illustrations turn a simple story into a royal celebration — full of rhythm, wit, and a touch of absurd charm. Every page glows with rich, theatrical color, as if lit from within by stage lights. You can […]
Leonid Vladimirsky illustrated Cipollino in his recognizable, lively style. His drawings are full of movement and humor, turning the story into a vivid and engaging visual tale. The familiar warmth of his characters makes this version one of the most beloved among his works.
Original title: Сказки дядюшки Римуса These illustrations are among Kalinovsky’s most distinctive works. They earned him two major international awards — a silver medal at the Leipzig Book Fair and the Golden Apple at the 1977 Biennial of Illustration Bratislava. Kalinovsky approached the American folktales of Joel Chandler Harris not […]
Original title: Приключения Чиполлино Gianni Rodari — The Adventures of Cipollino (illustrated by Yevgeny Galey, Detgiz, 1960) was the first of Rodari’s books to be published in a foreign language and quickly became one of the most beloved stories among children in the Soviet Union. Translated under the supervision of […]
Original title: Приключения Чиполлино In 1956, Detgiz published the first Russian edition of Gianni Rodari’s The Adventures of Cipollino, illustrated by Vladimir G. Suteev. For generations of readers, the charming vegetable characters from Rodari’s beloved tale remain inseparable from the images created by Suteev’s hand. Later illustrators of Cipollino rarely […]
A Story, a Story is a children’s picture book written and illustrated by Gail E. Haley. It retells an African tale about how the trickster Anansi, the Spider Man, obtained stories from Nyame, the Sky God, so that children on Earth could hear them. To succeed, Anansi must capture three […]
A Bear, a Bobcat, and Three Ghosts — a slightly surreal Halloween poem written in loose blank verse, follows the wandering trader Timothy Todd on his nocturnal adventure. On the eve of Halloween, Todd sets out to visit old friends — to sell a bit, buy a bit, and share […]
Original title: Собачки This book was both written and illustrated by Vera Mikhailovna Ermolaeva (1893–1937), one of the most remarkable figures of the Russian avant-garde. A practicing artist as well as a leading theorist, she headed the Laboratory of Color at the State Institute of Artistic Culture (GINKhUK) in Petrograd, […]
Hilary Knight brings Cinderella to life with characters endowed with the same humor, zest, and personality that made readers adore his most famous creation, Eloise. His version includes delightful touches: house cats, a blue fairy godmother, and a slightly plump Prince Charming, that dance across the pages and into readers’ […]