Silke Diehl (ilustrator)

Meet Silke, mother of three based in Cologne, who since childhood dreamt of becoming an illustrator of children’s books. As a parent, she learned that playful parenting is the key to children’s hearts and minds. Like Ian, Silke brought up her three children to express their feelings and to be creative. A chance meeting with Ian, led to the opportunity to illustrate the Crush Series books.

Silke draws with pastel colours reminiscent of Beatrix Potter. She has a very special skill in making the animals in the Crush books to see the world in a certain way, which gives the reader an understanding of what is going on in the animals’ head just by a mere visual expression.

Silke’s ability to take Ian’s words and bring them to life in a humorous way is unique. Her use of pastel colours and soft, beautiful illustrations that give depth, is in contrast to many children’s books today.