Desirée W. Cueto is an associate professor in Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies at the University of Arizona. Her research consists of three strands of scholarshirelated to a) Black perspectives and epistemologies as a frame for critical analysis of children’s literature b) the responses and interpretations of youth from historically resilient communities to critical literacy engagements and c) collaborative inquiries that support preservice and in-service teachers in using diverse books to helchildren think in new ways about their lives and world. Her work has been published in journals such as Research in the Teaching of English, Journal of Children’s Literature, Journal of Literacy Research, Language Arts and the ALAN Review. She served as the AERA Human Resources and Induction co-section editor in the Handbook of Research on Teachers of Color, was a contributing author of the Kappen Special Policy Report related to recruitment, hiring, and early-career induction support for Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers, and is co-author of the textbook, Essentials of Children’s Literature, 10th Edition, Pearson 2022)