BEFORE SELECTING MATERIALS TO TEACH READING, A SET OF CONSISTENT AND APPROPRIATE CRITERIA MUST BE DEVISED AND USED TO OBJECTIVELY ANALYZE AVAILABLE MATERIALS. A KNOWLEDGE OF THE CHILDREN, TEACHERS, AND OBJECTIVES AND PATTERN OF THE READING PROGRAM IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AIDS THE DETERMINATION OF THE CRITERIA. JUDGMENT MUST THEN BE USED IN SELECTION BECAUSE MATERIALS WILL RARELY FIT ALL THE CHOSEN CRITERIA, AND PRIORITY MUST BE GIVEN TO SOME OF THEM. THERE ARE LITTLE KNOWN CRITERIA WHICH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED--(1) A PROVISION FOR CONTROLLING GRAPHEME-PHONEME CORRESPONDENCE, (2) RECOGNITION OF DIALECT DIFFERENCES, AND (3) AN ATTEMPT TO STIMULATE CHILDREN TO READ WIDELY OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL. CONTRADICTORY CRITERIA WHICH SHOULD BE AVOIDED INCLUDE--(1) GAINING MEANING VERSUS LEANING GRAPHEME-PHONEME RELATIONSHIP AND (2) CONTROLLED VOCABULARY VERSUS LITERARY QUALITY. (RH)