Revealing Relationships

Literature holds the potential to significantly influence the livesof readers, but what is the nature of this influence for very young readers? This studyinvestigated the question “What are the relationships between beginning readers andtheir personal literature?” A first-grade class of 18 students individually assembled acollection of personal literature, that is, literature that they chose to read for theirown purposes, and shared their literature during presentations to the class. Datacollection included observational field notes, multiple forms of literature, audiorecordings, and photographs. The data were analyzed using the constant comparativemethod. The findings indicated four main outcomes: Students’ personal literature is areflection of who they are as a child within a family structure; students’ personalliterature brings them comfort; students’ personal literature is a reflection of theirinner desires; and students’ personal literature is selected for their entertainment.The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed