Myatt, B., & Carter, J. M. (1979). Picture preferences of children and young adults. Educational Communication and Technology Journal, 27(1), 45-53.

The authors offer definitions of six types of illustrations and report a study of student preference for those picture styles. Generally, their subjects, 280 students in grades K, 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, and 11, preferred photographs, with realistic drawings ranked second. But there were significant differences between sexes and age groups.