Illustration in children s picture books represents a very important space for Design, for, by means of fiction, it can reinforce or challenge our beliefs, and can also stimulate new fantasies, which are needed to suspend our illusory and instantaneous reality. As a consequence, illustration bridges the gap between the literary fiction and the urban environment, building new ways for us to exist as citizens. In the present study, illustration in children s picture books was understood as an intersection among Design-Arts-Literature, and its importance in the formation of visually illiterate image readers was investigated. A parallel was drawn between the graphic history of the book and some milestones in the creation of the Western and Brazilian identities, culminating with the textual richness of Brazilian children s picture books.. It is possible that the modernist influence and its interpretation in Brazil promoted an expressive, caricatural and stylistic Brazilian cultural identity. With this aim, a methodology that allows the construction of personal constellations based on visual reading – stars methodology (ISER, 1997) – was suggested. Then, mediators and readers were consulted in order to improve the organicity and nonlinearity of this methodology. Finally, seven Jabuti Prize winning children s picture books were analyzed. The author believes that an aesthetical look that takes into account ruptures and questionings present in the illustrations may help us broaden the understanding of both Design and society, which are constantly being updated and built.