All images by David Macaulay, "The Way We Work"

Abilenians get to be among the first to see the latest work from award-winning children's book illustrator David Macaulay with the opening of an art exhibit today at the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature.

Macaulay, author of several books that explain how machines work, how grand buildings are constructed, and other titles that show children the "hows" and "whys" of the world, returns to Abilene for "The Way We Work," an exhibit of illustrations from his upcoming book of the same title. The book will be released in October.

The NCCIL (pronounced "nickel") collects original work by children's book illustrators, organizes them into exhibits, shows them in Abilene and then sends the exhibits to museums and galleries across the United States.

Sarah Mulkey, executive director of the NCCIL, said that except for an informal exhibition, the public has not seen Macaulay's latest art. This is the first time the NCCIL has shown art that has not appeared yet in a book.

"He had just finished the final drawings a little over a month ago," Mulkey said. "As we were preparing for this exhibition, he was finishing sketches."

Macaulay was born in England and moved to the United States with his family when he was 11. In 1991, his book "Black and White" won the Caldecott Medal, given each year to honor the best children's book illustrations by the Association of Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association.

His new book, "The Way We Work," explains how the human body works -- how blood pumps from the heart, how it's possible for fingers to pick up items, and other bodily functions and structures.

Macaulay exhibited work from his earlier books at the NCCIL in 2005.