In Conversation With Award-Winning Illustrator Esraa Hedery

After a decade-long career illustrating more than 60 books and collaborating twice with Sesame Street, Egyptian illustrator Esraa Hedery has earned five international awards and one local honour, along with two previous shortlistings for the International Award for Arabic Children’s Literature. This year, she finally brought the award home for the Jordanian non-fiction title ‘Who Am I’.

The book is a philosophical questioning of the fabric that makes up one’s self, targeted at all ages from nine to ninety-nine. “It tries to take you out of your comfort zone,” Hedery tells CairoScene. “It invites you to examine corners of yourself you don't normally ponder through a series of questions. To illustrate it, I had to stop and answer them myself.”

In ‘Who Am I’, Hedery designed illustrations that encourage readers to pause and think rather than rush through each prompt. “If you’re asked about your biggest fear, you might immediately say ‘cockroaches’,” she explains. “But when you see the illustrations offering more possibilities, you slow down and reflect, finding an answer that feels more true.” For this project, Hedery limited her palette to just three colours, allowing composition and detail—not excess—to convey depth and emotion.

Hedery explains that illustrating a book can take one of two approaches. “If a book tells a story, the illustrator’s job is to translate it visually and make it engaging for the child,” she says. “A child might read an entire book just to follow a cat that has nothing to do with the plot—until curiosity eventually draws them into the story.” She recalls one reader’s mother sharing that her illustration of fish inspired her daughter to finally try seafood. Hedery’s work balances playfulness and precision—her drawings speak directly to children, yet reflect the refinement of a seasoned artist.

Hedery began illustrating children’s books after the birth of her son, Zein. Up until that point, she hadn’t paid much attention to children’s books until she started browsing them for him—and quickly realised how much the field needed fresh voices. With a Fine Arts degree already in hand, she decided to fill that gap. “Before I take on a book, I read it with Zein to see if he enjoys it,” she says. “Sometimes he races through stories I thought were dull, so his reactions help shape both my choices and my illustrations.”

Now, with her latest award marking a major milestone in her career, Hedery hopes to one day establish a global festival dedicated entirely to children’s literature—an event that celebrates creativity, storytelling, and the joy of reading from an early age.