A significant number of Hispanic children's books and juvenile short stories and novels produced in the last two decades reveal the social and cultural elements that affect the lives, traditions, and beliefs of young adults from Spanish-speaking countries. These books contain sociocultural realism, yet with a touch of the innocence and freshness of children and young adults. This combination of realism and vivid imagination makes this kind of literature powerful. In this article, a selection of the literature is compiled, selected for the significance of content, richness in cultural value, and interest to child and young-adult readers. The authors are from Spain, Cuba, Argentina, Mexico, and the United States. The literary works can be presented in numerous ways: as a base for research on Hispanic children's/juvenile literature; as a part of a cultural readings course offered to Spanish teachers; as a part of a seminar or advanced-level course offered to Spanish teachers; or as a part of a Spanish curriculum in both high school and university programs. It is hoped that this selection of contemporary Spanish children's and juvenile literature will provide a framework to increase the role that such works play in the research, teaching, and learning of Spanish. (Contains 84 references.) (KFT)