Literature for children and youth has long played a pivotal role in growing students' literacy lives in schools. Fine literature, whether self-selected by students as choice reading or paired with teachers' thoughtful instruction, can launch students into personally meaningful and intellectually stimulating opportunities to read, respond, comprehend, and inquire. Through pictures and words, students can enter a vibrant process of imagining new worlds that transcend cultural and linguistic barriers while also synthesizing new ideas, negotiating multiple perspectives, and putting their literacy strategies to work in authentic ways. This brief presents the following: (1) Expanding the reach for literature beyond the classics; (2) Integrating multiple literature genres and formats; (3) Response-based approaches; (4) Developing writing skills through text exposure; and (5) Supporting readers and writers for social justice.