Noy and Nir are bored of playing with their toys and games so they decide to explore a nearby Orange Grove. Their little sister Daria insists on joining them. At the orchard they find an old wooden crate and they can't resist having a peek inside. To their astonishment out jumps a tiny orange elf. "Do not look at me or you shall be punished!" he warns them. But it's too late...

The next time they try to talk the find that everything they say rhymes. There is only one way to cancel the curse - They need to find one word that doesn't rhyme.

The challenge in this book was a difficult one. The things the children say in the actual text can't be illustrated. The easy solution would be to draw the children talking amongst themselves but that's not very interesting, is it? Instead, I decided to draw a picture of two words that rhyme in Hebrew for example: SIRA - TIRA (boat - castle) etc. The words aren't from the story but they help illustrate what's happening to the children. I also restricted myself to a rather narrow color scheme - all shades of green and orange, to give that distinct feeling of walking through an orange grove (Used here as a local fairy tale forest).

One day, As Amalia walks with her father around Circle street, she notices that all her neighbors own pets. On her way back home Amalia asks her father for a pet. "Sure thing," says her father, "Just decide which one you want", But during supper he says that maybe, since it's her very first pet, he and Mommy should help her with some ideas. They suggest she picks a quiet pet. The kind that doesn't break things, or makes too much of a mess. "I have the exactly right pet" says Amalia. "I want a crocodile".

This funny book doesn't have much text, and relies heavily on illustration. I have located the entire family in a non-typical Israeli environment of unimaginable wealth. That caused quite a stir in my country, as it was perceived by some as a story about a spoiled little brat, who gets whatever she wants. This is very controversial in a country that suffers from increasing tension between the well-to-do and everybody else. I wanted it to be controversial, so that parents can give their own interpretation to their children, based on their own ideas on wealth and poverty.

Basically – it just made sense to me. If you are rich – you can afford a crocodile for your child. Of course you have so much more to lose by doing so. Should you grant your children's every wish? Some say it's a commentary on bad parenting, others think that the best thing you can do for your children is to help them achieve the impossible, even if it costs you.

The Angels of Sleep is written as a nursery rhyme. Every night, the angels of sleep gather in their heavenly home to see what children living on earth are dreaming about. Then they spread their wings and fly across the land and try to grant everyone'swish.

Since this book is written as poetry and has an old-fashioned vibe to it – I decided to create nice ornaments inspired by classic motifs of angels, roses and birds. To enhance the old-fashioned look, I made a "golden" frame to each drawing. The challenge was to create something classic without it being too saccharine, which is very easy to do when dealing with an angel theme.

Little Vicky boom eats cheese cakes under a tree. One rose bends over the fence and asks her: "Has the party started"? –"What party?" asks Vicky-Boom. "Oh dear!" says the rose. "I probably got it wrong. No party. No birthday party what so ever"…

This book is very simple. It's a surprise birthday party, and everyone comes to help – one rose, two chickens, three crickets, four frogs, five porcupines, six goats, seven birds, eight beetles, nine lizards and ten fish. A very simple book for toddlers.

Since I really wanted to keep it simple, I focused on the technique. It all started when I found out that many publishers in Israel tend to photograph illustrations rather than scan them. If that is the case, I thought, why not create something with more texture to make it more interesting?

A few years ago, I discovered the beautiful art of paper cutting and paper sculpture. I wanted to create my own version of paper art, and here was a wonderful opportunity to do so. I decided I will make layered "3-D" illustrations, using the wonderful flexibility of paper and the countless possibilities of lighting.

Two drops of water sit on a leaf. They look down at two children sitting on a bench. The children are very sad because they need to say goodbye. Tal is to go with his mother to Africa while Adva will travel with her family to the other side of the world – America. The drops, called Drop and Droplet, are sad for the children. Yet little do they know that they too will soon part ways, each embarking on its own special journey… This book is very emotional. It deals with the philosophical journeys we all take, and the fragility of love. The author sends the children to opposite sides of the world and leaves them to their fate, while dealing with the parallel journeys of the two drops. I really mourned leaving these children, but continued their journey through my illustrations, until a chance meeting between them as adults, where the author acknowledges them again. In addition to my usual technique of panton markers and colored pencils, In this book I experimented with color spray (in the very same way they are used in graffiti art).

Alon goes to the beach with his father, who buys him a balloon. The balloon slips from his fingers, and takes to the sky.Alon asks the old balloon man, where did the balloon go? The balloon man tells him about this special place that balloons go toto get there, one needs to have very light thoughts... When Alon goes there himself he discovers he that someone else has got there first. During my work on "Baloona" I had to face two challenges: Creating the right character for both children and create a feel of "air rather than paper" as the author requested. I made many drawings of children, before getting to the sad eyed, chubby girl, who was based on a photo I found of the Author as a child. As for the "Airy" feeling – I used warm brownish tones for the parts that take place in the real world and switched to Cooler blue tones for the balloon land in the sky and tried to give as much attention to the empty parts of each page as to the fully illustrated parts.

This book was awarded with the Andersen citation for illustration, in 2008 Oryana, Ely and Yotam wake up after a stormy night and run to the nearby forest to pick mushrooms. They end up picking every last mushroom in the forest before proudly heading back home. On their way they come across an entrance to a cave and can't resist the temptation to check it out. After a long walk underground, they come across a hungry family of Cyclopes… This book takes place in 3 locations – The house, the forest, and the magical underground cave. I worked closely with my editor – Mrs. Dalit Lev to create the right atmosphere for each one of the locations. The editor wanted the house and forest to be authentic Israeli. We went on a location hunt, took many pictures in many different places and finally decided to set the above ground locations in the Judean forest and the old village of Ein-Karem in Jerusalem.

What would happen if the sun fell into the sea, and never rose again? What would become of the sheep and the Sheppard? What would happen to the moon and the land? This book is extra important to me, as it was my first time to really master the Panton markers and colored pencils technique I use to this day. Unfortunately, the book was never published. The publishing house went bankrupt a day after it was printed, and neither I nor the printers ever saw a dime for our labor…

A child takes a walk on a bright sunny day. She walks past the big garbage can where a white cat and two crows fight over some leftovers. The child hops over the white fence, waves to a toddler riding a bike. Then… a cry is heard from underneath a big red truck in the corner of the street. There were two requests made by the author for this book: That the setting of the story would be her beloved city of Haifa and that the book should be colorful. The first request was pretty easy to achieve.. The author took me to her childhood neighborhood and I took many pictures, emphasizing the tiny features of the big city – A gate, water pump, a peculiar stone, a fallen sign. The second request was tricky: What is "colorful"? I made many concept drawings, trying various color combinations. But it wasn't until I chose a scale of bright, warm, yellow colors that reflect the title of the book that the author was truly satisfied

A collection of poems for children. Saul Tchernikhowski (1875-1943) is one of the greatest Jewish poets of our times. Most of his poetry was intended for adults but his life was devoted to children – he was also a pediatrician. This is the first time his poetry for children has been collected in a book. The theme of these lovely rhymes is the life of the tiny creatures living in the poet's garden. I was thrilled when I was told I got this project, as I knew that many illustrators sought it. Tchernikhowski's grandson had preselected me himself, saying, in a typically Jewish manner: "I do not hate this illustrator's work". The challenge in creating this book was in finding the balance between the timeless classic beauty of the poems and the subtle cruel undertone that is very typical of old Russian poetry. It was about creating a mixture of softness, innocence and the hidden violence in the drawings. When the book was finished, I was told that Tchernikhowski's grandson said, "I think I almost like this book". High praise indeed…

Eagles are lonely beings. They fly in glorious solitude until that time of year when they feel compelled to fly to a small deserted island in the middle of the ocean where they gather to choose that year's king. The selection is not based on wisdom or strength - the king is the one with the best memory. One by one the eagles rise and describe their memories of things past but the one who remembers the most is the youngest and smallest eagle. Can the baby eagle become the all-mighty king? And will he accept the role? This interesting philosophical tale, based on the Hasidic traditional tale of seven paupers, was written by Dov Elboim. Elboim was raised in a religious Hassidic family but parted ways with this way of life in his early twenties. However, he tackles Jewish philosophy as a writer, a lecturer and a thinker. He asked me to create a special environment for the eagles. He wanted them to have a distinct iconography that would use no known symbols.

A story based on an African tale.

This is a story about a father and son. The father promises his son that he will find him when he's lost, no matter what. The child decides to put his father's promise to the test. So he hides in a peanut that is swallowed by a bird that is eaten by a swamp-cat that gets gobbled by a hyena that is then devoured by a tiger who is tickled by a feather... and spits them all out. The child than lands in his father's loving arms, who keeps his promise.

This book appeals to me because it is based in Africa which I adore. I tried to use sketches and pictures I took during a trip to Kenya and Tanzania. I gave the father the typical hair-do and costume of the Massey tribe, and tried to recreate the beautiful bright colors of the jungle, the elaborate textures of African cloths, and even capture some of the amazing African skies.