Twice I have stumbled onto an illustrator’s website and twice I have been pleasantly surprised. It isn’t difficult to find an illustrator by using a traditional Internet search.
Today I am including a link to a blog other than the artist’s because the blog has a better collection of the artist’s illustrations than the artist’s website. But the blog provides a link to the artist, in case your need for an illustrator is immediate.
http://shitiheart.com/2012/03/25/kick-ass-illustrator-lan-truong/
Personally, I would use this artist for a children’s book. Her work appears primarily in magazines, but I love the simplicity of her designs.
Fay Moore: I Want To Be a Writer 
Excellent “mystery writers” post on Tim Hallinan’s blog today:
http://www.timothyhallinan.com/blog/?p=5835#more-5835
Thanks. Will check it out.