This study aims to determine the percentage of available illustration shapes which are included in the books of social studies for basic classes (5-12) .Also to know the extent of the availability of artistic standards in the illustration shapes. In order to answer the questions of the study, the researcher has prepared a checklist to identify the number of the illustration patterns that are presented to students in the social studies textbooks for basic classiss (5–12). Then she presented this checklist to a group of judges to have their opinions about it and to evaluate the standards This checklist has about 11 standards which are fittings, harmony of colours, space, the connection with the content of the lessons, realism and its connection with the students environments,scientific accuracy, fairness, the site, the source, the comment and the number. This study has used the analytical descriptive instrument. The study comes out with a set of results. The most impsortant ones were: 1-There are differences in the percentage of the distribution of the illustration shapes in the textbooks of social studies for basic classess (5–12). The photographs and maps have got the highest percentage while the timelines and the maps of contents have got the lowest presentage in general. 2 -The standards of artistic design were found in the illustration shapes in the analyzed textbooks in different percentages. It was found that the percentage of standards of illustration shapes relating to the content was about (96,2%) and (93,5%) was for the accurate scientifically shapes. The availability of the standard of having the sources in the illustration shapes was (26,2%) wherease (25,1%)of these shapes do not have adequate clarifying comments.In light of these results, the study showes the importance of implying more illustration shapes in social studies books. It also recommended that there should be a review on the inaccurate illustration shapes that mismatch the standards of the artistic designs