A study was undertaken to investigate the nature of the cohesive features found in the language of selected first grade students and to study and compare the cohesive features of language samples in the beginning level of three widely used reading series to those found in the language of the children for whom they are intended. In the first part of the study, language samples were obtained from six first grade students. Each student participated in a total of six language situations developed to elicit a wide variety of language use. From the language produced, 36 samples were drawn to form an information base for the study. For the second part of the study, selections from the Scott, Foresman Basics in Reading; Houghton-Mifflin Reading Series; and Ginn Reading 720 series were analyzed to determine the nature and occurrence of the cohesive ties used. This data, together with the data collected in the first part of the study, were used to compare the presence and frequency of occurrence of cohesive features in the child-produced texts and in the language samples of the beginning reading series. The study provided evidence of the applicability of a framework of cohesive analysis for gathering information about the textual schema of children and suggested the presence of cohesive ties in children's language. The study also established the use of cohesive ties in three beginning reading series. (FL)