Those who frequently encounter history-based children's literature view it quite differently. Writers craft the storytelling for young readers; young readers want to be engaged; teachers want the books read; publishers want the books sold; and history education researchers worry about emergent patterns of historical representation (and misrepresentation) within the books sold for young children. Research on the historical representations within children's literature, especially of the Civil Rights Movement (CRM), is significant for many reasons. There is, thus, a need for research that distinguishes history from story within CRM-related children's literature. Knowing that students' historical understandings begin in elementary school, and will garner more attention due to state and national initiatives, the author sought to explore the historicity of the most common curricular tool used in elementary social studies classrooms: trade books. To establish a representative and sizeable sample, the author reviewed three popular resources for children's literature (Amazon, Scholastic, and Barnes and Noble) and collected the titles of all CRM-centered children's trade books published in the last twenty-five years. Using content analysis methodology this research generated meaningful findings that indicated significant discrepancies between the understandings of historians and children's authors. While it is unreasonable to expect direct correspondence between historians and children's authors, the author identified meaningful differences and significant lacunae that should not be disregarded. These findings have implications for how classroom teachers organize their curricular material.