Lisbeth Zwergers illustrations are one of a kind and her interpretations of classic stories are renowned for their originality.

For example the illustration of the Wizard of Oz(1996) was revolutionary as it was so different to the Western worlds perception of the characters and scenery. Zwerger had never seen the Judy Garland film so it was all of her own interpretation of what the characters would look like and also what the scenery would look like as well

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Zwerger's Alice in Wonderland was also much different to the modern perception as the characters were her own and had no influence from the disney movies or previous books. This book was alot brighter in coulour compared to her previous books and there was also a lot more frontal views of characters. Each character is portrayed in a very different light but every character is recogniseable from the actual story

Zwergers interpretation of Thumbeline is another haunting example of her dark depressed characters and use of pen and ink and only a few watercolours. This is a stark contrast to many other thumbeline interpretations. In this book the character looks constantly depressed and the dark images bring a different feel to the story, each character has a signature look and they are very cartoon like with their strange features. The character of thumbeline is very different to many of her other female characters as the is rather human looking.

A creation story that Lisbeth Zwerger illustrated is "How the camel got its hump", this book is set in the desert and features the same typ of illustrations as thumbeline except she uses probably less colour. The colours are drag and dull and give a tired feeling to the book, compared to alice in wonderland this book is quite boring but it is the way that she has interpreted the words of the story which are interesting. A character Djinn is introduced who travells in a cloud of dust, instead of illustrating a sort of cyclone it is like a large roll of white silk which carries the man rolled up inside, this continually reappears throughout the book. It is interpretations like this that have made Lisbeth Zwerger such an original and influential artist.

Zwergers illustrations of the Nutcracker are again different to many of her other works and give a very character based approach. The characters are comical looking and all have distinct features which draw the reader into the illustrations. The characters all have the familiar rosy red cheeks which appear in nearly all of her books and are a trade mark of her work. The characters are very realistic compared to other books such as the wizard of oz and really showcases her talent.

When choosing books to illustrate Lisbeth Zwerger takes a lot of time reading them and finds out if she really wants to do the story as she says "I only know what i like to illustrate-and i can't do sweet pink stuff" hence the colour of this website. Her illustrations combine sharp lines and fine details with large spaces of almost blank colour, she is extremely famous for her watercolour use and has recieved the highest award possible for illustration The Hans Christian Andersen medel for lifetime achievement which she recieved for her contribution and work in childrens literature.