"I honestly think all of us would be better off if everyone took the time to draw, if for no other reason than the better we see, the more inevitable curiosity becomes," former architect and best-selling children's book author and illustrator David Macaulay said in his 1991 Caldecott Medal acceptance speech, published in Horn Book. Macaulay won the prestigious award for his intriguing work, Black and White, which tells four stories simultaneously and compels readers to look closely at what is going on within the illustrations. Macaulay, however, is best known for his nonfiction works that teach children about the wonders of architecture from past and present ages, as well as for his best-selling book, The Way Things Work, an illustrated guide that explains the mechanics behind everything from nail clippers to computers.

While many authors and educators denounce what they see as the dangers of verbal illiteracy in...