Transformative, anti-oppressive curricula, as theorized by Banks (1989, 2014) and Kumashiro (2001, 2009), directly address present-day realities of racism, discrimination, and oppression. According to Banks (1989), a transformative curriculum includes "the infusion of various perspectives, frames of reference, and content from various groups, that will extend students' understandings of the nature, development, and complexity of U.S. society" (p. 18). Transformative curricula challenge the dominant narrative of the United States as a nation that was built upon the principle of equality for all. For teachers, integrating children's literature means making decisions that require a deep understanding of curriculum, learning processes, social context, and literature. These decisions require risk-taking on the part of the teacher who is stepping away from a prescribed curriculum and into topics and content that may disrupt the values represented in the traditional curriculum. (Flores et al., 2019) The standard U.S. literacy curricula are not built on a foundation of cultural relevance, criticality, or social justice (Ladson-Billings, 2014; Muhammad, 2020); therefore, the resources prescribed for teaching literacy, including children's literature, are perceived as culturally neutral and racially color-blind. However, critical teachers and scholars begin with the premise that all stories are political in nature. This study investigated the curriculum development practices of two critical elementary educators who used their daily read-aloud time to challenge the dominant narrative that the United States is equitable and just.