TEHRAN The 1st Tehran International Illustrators Exhibition was held in the House of Artists to honor three female illustrators who specialize in children's books. Exhibitions such as this have had their ups and downs. It began domestically in 1989, but was soon discontinued due to political changes in the country. These exhibitions were a good way to support and increase the value of children's books. Unfortunately, the practice of illustrating children's book is not given its due credit in Iran. Following is a short review of the artistic lives of the three female illustrators. Mehrnoush Ma'soumian was born in Tehran in 1945, and has a B.A. in interior design from Tehran University. She is an illustrator who has spent 32 years of the best of her life working and making efforts to revitalize the rich culture of Iran. Ma'soumian has illustrated schoolbooks (paintings used in of elementary school texts) as well as books published by the Center for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (CIDCYA). She has also worked in adult education by illustrating university textbooks. Ma'soumian was awarded the Crystal Pencil and an honorary diploma at the first exhibition of Iranian illustrators. She has spent most of her career working with children and teaching painting. Nasrin Khosravi was born in Tehran in 1950 and has a B.A. in graphic design. She has illustrated 24 children's books and her work has won prizes at several illustration exhibitions around the world. She has been awarded an honorary diploma, known as 'Creation Et Creativite', at different international exhibitions, and has also participated in a number of solo and group painting exhibitions. Firouzeh Gol-Mohammadi is another painter and illustrator who has won many awards from internationally recognized competitions. She has shown her work in Iran, the Middle East, the Far East, Europe, and the U.S. She was born in Tehran and graduated from university as an art major. Gol-Mohammadi is known for her innovative work in miniatures, and it has been said that she revived the art form. Critics have described her style as a "new and vibrant change in Iranian miniatures." She has always tried to represent human spirituality in her paintings. The traditional form of Iranian miniature has influenced her work, but she has altered the style. She believes that using traditional techniques, compositions, colors, and senses of place and time does not meet the needs and expectations of today's world. Gol-Mohammadi has recently focused on illustrating children's books and has been inspired by great poets like Molana, Ferdowsi, Sepehri, and Attar. It is a hard and honorable task to visualize their poems, and can only be accomplished by truly outstanding artists. Gol-Mohammadi also has experience in photography and her work has been displayed in several exhibitions concerning the historical monuments of Iran. She also works in journalism and has been chosen by UNESCO to supervise painting workshops for Asian female artists. During her illustrious career, Gol-Mohammadi has been involved in 31 international painting, illustrating and photography exhibitions, and has won many prizes.