Desirée W. Cueto is an African American and African (Cape Verdean) associate professor in Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies at the University of Arizona. Her research consists of three major strands of scholarship related to a) Black perspectives and epistemologies as a frame for critical analysis of children’s and young adult literature; b) collaborative inquiries that support preservice and in-service teachers in using diverse books to help children think in new ways about their lives and world; and c) the responses and interpretations of youth from historically resilient communities to critical literacy engagements. As a former teacher and district administrator, she is deeply committed to supporting and increasing the number of BIPOC and Indigenous teachers in public school classrooms. She is co-section editor of the Handbook of Research on Teachers of color and accompanying policy reports. She is also co-author of Essentials of Children’s Literature 10th Edition, and has published in the Journal of Literacy Research, Research in the Teaching of English and the Journal of Children’s Literature among others.