Ulla Saar (b. 1975) is an Estonian designer and illustrator, and one of the country’s most highly regarded and award-winning creators of children’s book illustrations. Since 2013, she has collaborated with many of the leading voices in Estonian children’s literature, including Kadri Hinrikus, Indrek Koff, Kairi Look, Anti Saar, Liis Sein, Kätlin Vainola and Aino Pervik. It is therefore all the more pleasing that in 2024 she joined the ranks of Estonian children’s authors with her own book Ita and Piuks: The Meeting (Ita ja Piuks. Kohtumine), about an unexpected friendship formed in a DIY store. While playing in the shop’s children’s corner, Ita hears a squeak and discovers a squeaky toy named Piuks – the kind many fathers have inevitably stepped on in the dark while the rest of the family sleeps. Last year saw the publication of Ita and Piuks: The Glasses (Ita ja Piuks. Prillid), in which the characters become entangled in a mishap involving Ita’s father’s reading glasses. Do two books with the same characters suggest the beginning of a new series in Estonian children’s literature? You can ask the author herself at the festival.
Ulla Saar
