This article first sets the context by recalling a study conducted by Alamillo (2004) at a California elementary school. That study examined culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy in the classroom through the use of Chicano children's literature. Both the text and the illustrations found in recent publications and the role they played in the socio-cultural development of children were considered. An analysis of the California context reveals that federal and state educational policy limits the use of bilingual children's literature in the classroom. This lack of inclusion is examined in an elementary classroom in the Bay Area. The focal teacher described here sees a mismatch between what the literature in the prescribed curriculum presents and the cultural and linguistic experiences of the Mexican-descent students in her class. Highlighted here are two distinct ways of looking at Chicano children's literature. Included are elements used to qualify selections as exemplary Chicano children's literature. (Contains 2 tables and 1 note.)