The articles in this special journal issue focusing on children's literature were drawn from papers presented at the Conference on Children's Literature held in 1982 at The Ohio State University. The first section contains articles that address the question "What makes a good children's book?" The question is approached from a historical perspective by a librarian and scholar, from a critic's standpoint, and from an editor's point of view. The section concludes with four brief position papers on the subject prepared by an author of children's books, two editors, and a librarian. Articles in the second section of the journal deal with the question "What is the child's view of a good book?" Contributors to this section present a theoretical perspective on the relation between reader and text, an account of ethnographic studies of children's books in the classroom, and suggestions for a theory of children's literature that would include not only what is known about literature but what is known about children and learning to read. Articles in the third section discuss the relationship between literature and literacy and explore how an insight about children and literature can be used to form classroom instruction. The journal concludes with personal accounts by authors and illustrators. (FL)