I was checking out the website of the Noma Concours for Picture Book Illustrations and I saw these illustrations: They are illustrations by Fereshteh Najafi for The Princess , the second prize winner for the 16th Concours (2008). I was intrigued. The illustrations are truly different from other children's book illustrations I have seen. I just had to get to know the illustrator! The gorgeous Fereshteh Najafi was born in Tehran, Iran in 1973. She has a BA in graphic design and an MA in illustration from Tehran Art University. Below is my interview with Fereshteh. She was really candid about her work and children's literature in Iran! How would you define Iranian children’s literature? Literature in Iran has a very old and rich heritage. Many Iranian poets, such as Ferdosi , Nezami , and Molavi , are famous in the world. The main part of contemporary stories were inspired by them. As you know, children have always been attracted to fairy tales and find them pleasant, but there a...