Takeo Takei (武井 武雄 , Takei Takeo , 25 June 1894 – 7 February 1983) was a Japanese painter best known for his illustrations for children.Takeo Takei is among Japan's most influential children's illustrators of the twentieth century. He was one of the first to create high-quality illustrations for children and was an early advocate of making artwork that respected and nurtured a child's imagination.