Before the Civil Rights movement, the lack of accurate representations of people of color was evident. Children's literature did not present accurate depictions of Mexican-Americans in the text. Sarapes, sombreros and fiestas were typical symbols used to identify Mexican culture and traditions. The Civil Rights Movement sparked a change for accuracy and culturally conscious children's literature in order to provide equity in a diverse classroom. The field of children's literature has made great strides in this area making choices easier for teachers looking to integrate Chicano children's literature in their classroom. Do teachers know how to make informed decisions regarding what is an accurate or authentic depiction of Mexican-American/Chicano culture? What is informing these decisions and why must teachers make educated decisions in literature selection? In making these decisions, teachers are looking at cultural and linguistic authenticity in specifically bilingual children's literature. These must be informed decisions based on several factors: (1) insider-outsider perspective; (2) overall theme of book; and (3) overall authenticity of the themes presented. In this article, criteria and questions are presented in order to provide assistance for teachers who are making these curricular decisions in their classroom. For schools that provide access to authentic Chicano children's books, selection criteria can be useful in identifying literature reflecting their student's lives.