15 Famous Illustrators of Children's Books to Follow in 2025
Table of Contents
If you are looking for an illustrator or the best place to find stunning illustration works for children’s books, then you are at the right place! The creative industry is growing each day, and it’s simpler for people to connect and find new talents.
In this blog post, I will shed some light on the topic “20 Famous Illustrators of Children’s Books to Follow in 2025” in an easy yet detailed manner. I will also discuss their popular illustrated works for your reference below.
Gradually, you will get a clear understanding of those leading or famous illustrators and what they are popular for, and decide your illustration styles to get motivated. With the proper guidance, you can also adapt your unique styles and thrive in this highly competitive illustration domain.
Let’s start by exploring the top Children’s book illustrators one by one!
Famous Illustrators to Follow in 2025
The following list that I have crafted carefully is a list of popular illustrators who are highly praised for their remarkable artworks. I would try my best to cover almost all the top artists and their artworks here so that you can follow them for further inspiration.
1. Maurice Sendak
The American author among famous illustrators around the world, Maurice Bernard Sendak, is a very popular name in the children’s book publishing world. One of his timeless creations is ‘Where the Wild Things Are’.
With his playful and emotional illustration, he catches the wild imagination of a child seamlessly. You might get a magical creation of a story with pictures to convey feelings and show creatures. Maurice is highly popular for his detailed and bold style of illustrations, which depicts strong expressions.
He is always an inspiration to young illustrators who want to adapt their style of illustration and become famous in 2025.
2. Eric Carle
Another stunning example of a famous illustrator and designer whose works are highly praised is Eric Carle. This American-origin illustrator and author is renowned for his great work, ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar.’
This iconic children’s book artist is highly popular for easy and unique artwork. His bright and colorful illustrations make his paintings capture the attention of young readers. He used hand-painted designs and textured papers to create his unique art, and this made him stand out as the most famous illustrator in America.
His books help kids to count numbers, days of the month, and days of the week, and know about healthy eating habits.
3. Leo Lionni
Leo Lionni is another great illustrator who is famous for his children’s book illustrations. More than 40 popular titles have been illustrated and authored by Lionni. His books are translated into multiple languages to make them easy for readers of different linguistic backgrounds to understand.
His popular illustration style symbolizes rich textures, hues, vibrant colors, tones, different shapes, and collages. The timeless creation of Lionni is ‘Frederick,’ which reflects the life of a poetic mouse. Through the use of animals and nature together, Lionni conveys big life messages to his readers.
Illustrators of these days should admire this blend of illustrations in this competitive landscape of 2025.
4. Vashti Harrison
Another modern and famous illustrator is Vashti Harrison and her most praised work is ‘Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History.’ This has become highly popular among readers due to the tales and illustrations of the world’s most outstanding leaders in a vibrant and catchy manner.
This multi-talented illustrator celebrates the success of 40 history-changing African American women in a more accessible illustration style. She makes use of pastel colors and smooth lines to make those tiny characters and inspire young readers.
Vashti’s work is an excellent example of teaching kids about the importance of history in a more catchy and engaging way.
5. Shel Silverstein
Shel Silverstein’s timeless themes and bold brand humor have made him popular among children and adults across the world. He is famous for his remarkable illustrations in ‘Where the Sidewalk Ends’ and ‘The Giving Tree.’ Silverstein only makes black-and-white illustrations that reflect deep emotions.
This helps children to connect easily with the story. He won popular awards, including the Oscar nomination and the Grammy Award, and this has proven his excellence. One can simply get motivated by his bold black-and-white illustrations in 2025.
Check out Ananta Mohanta’s portfolio for more extraordinary illustrations that help children’s picture books capture young minds!
6. Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter is one of the excellent and popular illustrators in the late 19s. Her most astonishing creation is ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit,’ the most loved book by children, and they are based on her pet rabbits. Some other popular works of Potter are ‘The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck,’ ‘The Tale of Tom Kitten,’ ‘The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher,’ and more!
Children who are below five mostly enjoy her work, and she wins to capture their attention perfectly. Her detailed illustrations show a stunning storytelling capacity, which makes all her works classic.
7. Quentin Blake
Quentin Blake is a British cartoonist and famous illustrator who started his book illustration journey at a very young age. He published his first work in Punch Magazine. Some of his most excellent illustrations are Scary Banner, Pantomime Unicorm, and Feline Friends.
He has created a history of illustrating 300+ books, and most of them are very popular among young readers. ‘Matilda,’ written by Ronald Dahl, is one of his timeless creations that captures the attention of children.
If you are up to getting inspiration for your artwork, then Blake’s remarkable artwork should be at the top of your list.
8. Oliver Jeffers
Oliver Jeffers is an Australian-origin illustrator who is popular for his unique illustrations, paintings, sculptures, and book marketing. His popular books are ‘Lost and Found and ‘How to Catch a Star.’ The use of soft hues and shapes has made Jeffers create scenes that are humorous and emotional.
Oliver Jeffers is famous for his excellent illustrations ‘Before My Time,’ ‘Fathom Painting No. 1’, ‘The Substitute Window,’ and more!
9. Ludwig Bemelmans
Ludwig Bemelmans is famous for his timeless creation ‘Madeline,’ the emotional story of a brave little girl who lives in Paris. His drawings are vibrant and moving, with bold lines and appealing hues. He adds a comical touch when illustrating real-life scenes. Young readers love the simple, attractive characters and exciting city scenes.
His illustrations still seem remarkable and inspiring, even in 2025. He highlighted the joy of daily life in an exciting and childlike manner. People who have an interest in traveling must enjoy the artworks by Ludwig Bemelmans.
10. Patricia Polacco
Another prominent name in the world of famous illustrators is Patricia Polacco, and she is praised for her extraordinary work in ‘Thank You, Mr. Falker’. She created history by illustrating more than 100 books.
She used pen, ink, or graphite to make catchy and unique illustrations. She is also famous for using muted colors in her works, and she makes use of vibrant colors to highlight vital subjects in a scene.
11. Priya Kurian
Priya Kurian is one of the famous Indian-origin illustrators and artists who is popular for her remarkable work in ‘Ammachi’s Glasses. This comic book writer won the Big Little Book Award in 2019. More than 100 books are illustrated by her, and she has also illustrated for prominent authors such as Manu S. Pillai, Jerry Pinto, Meera Nair, and Ruskin Bond.
Her other novel works include ‘Drawing the Line: Indian Women Fight Back’ and ‘Poonachi: Lost in the Forest.’ She creates visual moments with her unique style, and this makes an emotional connection between young readers and the story.
12. Amanda Letcher
Amanda Letcher is a freelance illustrator best known for her unique and dreamy illustrations of people, animals, things, and nature. Magical and gentle worlds filled with exciting elements are her best styles. She makes use of pastel hues, soft colors, and moving shapes that raise curiosity among young minds.
Her stunning illustration style continues to capture the attention of young readers, making her a great example which new illustrators should take inspiration from.
13. Clement Hurd
Clement is a famous illustrator for his artwork on the classic ‘Goodnight Moon.’ She has illustrated the books in a straightforward yet attention-grabbing way. From using vibrant and bright colors to simple shapes, Hurd makes bedtime stories extremely catchy and cozy for kids.
Almost 100 books are illustrated by Hurd, and some great works include, ‘The Runaway Bunny,’ ‘My World,’ ‘Run Run Run,’ ‘Hurry Hurry,’ and more!
14. Beatrice Blue
If you want to know about a rising illustrator who has been dominating the world of illustrations in 2025, Beatrice Blue is the name you should think of. Her famous illustration is in the book ‘Once Upon a Unicorn Horn,’ which is full of bright and vibrant colors and attractive character illustrations. Her other popular works include ‘The Sun Room,’ ‘Wonder,’ ‘Once Upon a Mermaid’s Tail,’ and more!
Young readers love to engage with her illustrations, as they are cute and dreamlike creations. She must be the top choice to get inspiration for catchy and brilliant illustrations in 2025.
15. Zebo Ludvicek
If you are searching for a nature-themed illustrator, then Zebo Ludvicek must be your prime pick. His stunning use of humor featuring wilderness scenes and animals has made him the most popular choice for children. He makes cartoonish illustrations of realistic themes.
Young readers are often engrossed by his national art, and this encourages their curiosity to understand nature and the world around them. Zebo’s artworks are rocking the world of illustrations due to their fun and informative touch, and this is the primary reason they are highly praised in 2025.
Final Thoughts,
In summary, the above-mentioned famous illustrators have brought life to mundane stories by adding their unique artworks.
Hoping, I have illustrated all the great and famous illustrators above with their outstanding works. If you follow their artworks in 2025, you can capture the attention of both young readers and creators. These illustrations keep the excitement and joy of learning.
If you are interested in making Children’s book illustrations or you are a book publisher, then you can go to Anantaart.com and connect with Ananta Mohanta and check his remarkable illustrations that make kids love reading books.
Happy reading.