The article is devoted to the study of the role of illustration in a children's book, where the latter is considered as a visual way for a child to learn the content of the text. The author, considering the development of illustration in historical retrospect, tries to highlight its features and specifics, which changed from era to era, covering more and more new styles, new directions, new artists.

At the same time, the author, based on the analysis of scientific literature, comes to the conclusion that the illustration for children is as important as the text of the book itself, and for younger children it is even more important than the text. Illustration in a children's book, whether educational or artistic, is always a kind of visual path of knowledge, which is undoubtedly included in the system of cultural universals. And here, the task of the illustrator is to dynamically expand the knowledge of children and adolescents obtained through the book. It is clear that the introduction of modern children to reading, which in the digital era - the era of the craze for gadgets is becoming especially relevant, where an important role is played by illustration, its quality and skill of execution, the power of attraction.

The author is sure that the illustration not only interprets the text, but also enriches it in its visual images, and here the artist shows his attitude to the text, develops or complements the thoughts of the writer or poet, enriching the text with visual images.