Children's early writing is analyzed in this paper according to different perspectives such as function, grapho-phonemics, syntax, and semantics. Emphasis is given to the semantic perspective of decoding the text and to the study of coherence in text as it is viewed by the reader. Proposition analysis is used to map the coherence of samples of writing, using a modified system developed by W. Kintch and T. A. van Dijk. Mapping is cited as important from a writer's perspective to assure that a reader will be able to follow or semantically track one's writing and from a learning perspective to see how the units of meaning are organized and how they relate to each other. (MKM)