Research with diverse students indicates that culturally relevant books can help validate students’ identities, cultures, and languages (Rodríguez, 2019).

When students feel welcomed in the classroom, it helps them connect with teachers and peers and allows them to show up at school as their full selves (Wanless & Crawford, 2016).

Having access to books that reflect students’ culture and identities can serve as a buffer against harmful messages by affirming students' identities in the classroom (Lee, 2008).

Culturally relevant books promote student engagement with reading specifically and learning more generally (Feger, 2006; Hunsberger, 2007).

A recent study with African American elementary and middle school students indicates that students’ reading comprehension skills were higher when they read texts that were culturally relevant (Christ et al., 2018).

A study with young Latino/a students found that the students responded positively to culturally relevant books, they were able to connect and relate to the stories, and that they expressed wanting to read more books that were representative of them (Rodriguez, 2019).

Research suggests that there is a transfer of skills between students’ first language and their second language (Chuang et al., 2012; Kim & Piper, 2018).

Students' home languages can be used to aid student learning in a number of ways (Cummins, 2007; García, 2009).

The use of dual language books has been associated with increased reading comprehension and engagement in a second language (Gregory, 2008) and the development of foundational literacy skills (Navqi et al., 2012).