Today, it is a challenge for teachers to convince resistant readers that literature holds secrets, adventures, and revelations worthy of their time and attention. When teachers demonstrate how to explore literature and guide students in doing so, teachers help break down barriers that are common among middle school students. Unfortunately, when middle schools are structured to skirt the messiness of active participation and interaction, teachers lose opportunities to engage students in their learning. Picture books can help by entertaining, informing, and leading students to greater understanding of the world around them. They teach about content, about the world they represent, about form, about literature and about language and about how stories can be told. For the many students not interested in specific content or academic learning in general, picture books are a captivating medium to learn content. Picture books can pique the interest of many adolescent students who, on the surface, may appear to be bored and apathetic.