In picture books, illustrations often play a critical role in helping authors tell stories. Instruction in the elements of composition including visual, textual, and peritextual features enhances meaning for children when they are given the opportunity to become authors of their own picturebooks. This study was conducted in a fourth grade classroom and discusses the need for teachers to increase children's understanding of the nature of picture books to build visual literacy and simultaneously support children's development as authors. The authors discuss visual features and design elements found within these books. They also present theory and practical implications for the instruction of pictorial devices when children create their own stories through the form of picturebooks. Knowledge of these various devices can promote critical thinking in young writers.