There has never before been such a wealth of well-written, richly illustrated picture books available. She goes on to point out several reasons picture books are appropriate to use with 6th through 12th grade students. Themes of many picture books have appeal for all age levels. Many issues addressed in picture books demand a maturity level that young children do not possess. Picture books can be used to introduce concepts on a simpler level.
Teachers can then work up to the more complex conceptl.
Each Friday during the school year, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Academy Media Center hosts a drawing to see who will be a member of the RAT Patrol. Any teacher who has read aloud to his or her class for at least 10 minutes that day can be nominated, by students, for the Patrol.