Best illustrated books all over the world
The letter, almost like a living character, rushes across the pages: picked up by postmen, flying in airplanes, sailing on ships, riding on horseback, even sliding on sleds. Each time it finds a new messenger hurrying to deliver it to the right place. And though the letter is always a […]
Vladimir Radunsky (1954–2018) was an artist, writer, and designer who never liked to stay in one style for long. He was born in Perm, grew up in Moscow, and studied art, design, and architecture before moving to New York in 1982, where he discovered the world of children’s books. He […]
You? by Vladimir Radunsky tells a quiet, simple story of connection between a girl and a small dog, separated by a hedge. Both are alone in their own worlds: she watches the dogs that pass by, he watches the people who walk past. Their curiosity finally brings them together, and […]
My Dolly is based on a song by Woody Guthrie and features illustrations by Vladimir Radunsky. The book uses collage techniques and incorporates elements of children’s drawings. The text follows the song, describing the doll singing, dancing, eating, and sleeping, while the illustrations create a playful visual context. Radunsky’s approach […]
Table Manners is a collaboration between Vladimir Radunsky and Chris Raschka. The book takes a subject usually handled with stiff seriousness — etiquette — and turns it into a playful, theatrical performance. The story follows two friends as they attempt to understand the rules of polite dining, a process that […]
This cumulative rhyme is a translation of a well-known Russian children’s poem. It follows a lady traveling by train with an assortment of belongings: a pan, a divan, a basin, a box with three locks, a valise, and a small Pekingese. By the end of the journey, the little pup […]
Will sleds down a hill and crashes into a hunter, a dog, a fox, a rabbit, and a bear, all tumbling together on the sled. The text is short, rhythmic, and playful, full of Kharms’ absurd humor. Vladimir Radunsky’s illustrations capture the wild energy of the ride. Snow flies and […]
Boy Meets Girl / Girl Meets Boy (2004) by Christopher Raschka and Vladimir Radunsky is a playful picture book built around a simple but inventive idea. The story, featuring a boy, a girl, a green cat, and an upside-down red dog in glasses, can be read in both directions: one […]
When you’re the only pink armadillo in a family of nine green ones, you can’t help but stand out. This little fellow decides the best way to shine is to be better at everything — and he’s not shy about saying so. His bragging grows as fast as his ambitions, […]
Woody Guthrie’s song text bounces with the rhythm of hammers, saws, and nails. The words echo the clatter of tools — “bling blang, hammer with my hammer, zing-o zang-o, cutting with my saw…” — and turn the work of building into a noisy game. The lines move like a chant, […]
Discovery opens with waves crashing against shores — fish, birds, then people appear. Brodsky’s poem suggests the first discoverers of America, but it’s more than just a history lesson. There are hints that discovery is ongoing: land still holds secrets, and humans are never done exploring. Radunsky’s art, in collage […]
The Maestro Plays (1994), written by Bill Martin Jr. and illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky, is a lively, rhyming picture book that follows the eccentric Maestro as he takes the stage with a parade of instruments. The language bursts with rhythm and invention: the Maestro plays reachingly, beseechingly, flowingly, glowingly – […]
In 10 (Ten), Radunsky follows Mr. and Mrs. Armadillo, a newly married couple who soon discover that their family will be much bigger than expected. Mrs. Armadillo gives birth not to one baby, but to ten — each simply named One through Ten. The story unfolds with playful exaggeration as […]
In Because…, Mikhail Baryshnikov draws on his own life as a dancer to shape the story: the grandmother’s playful, unpredictable behavior is explained by her passion for dance — something Baryshnikov knows from the inside. His perspective gives the book authenticity and warmth, showing how dance can spill into everyday […]
Mark Twain’s Advice to Little Girls, written in 1865, takes the familiar form of moral instruction and turns it upside down with sly humor. His playful tone makes ordinary lessons sound both absurd and oddly practical, giving young readers a glimpse of mischief hiding behind polite words. The edition illustrated […]
An Edward Lear Alphabet is Vladimir Radunsky’s take on the classic nonsense verse of Edward Lear. In this book Radunsky pairs Lear’s playful, often absurd rhymes with his own bold, witty illustrations. Each letter of the alphabet is accompanied by a short Lear poem, full of odd characters, strange animals, […]