The University of North Dakota possesses an archive containing the schoolwork, writings, and artworks of 32 children. In a study, all of the fiction and poetry of three of the children were gathered, as were teachers' descriptive records and examples of the children's drawings. It can be concluded from a study of the randomly selected children that young writers express their personal perspectives and concerns in their writing. It is necessary for a teacher or researcher to read a child's story in the context of the child's other writing, and his or her whole school life. No work of art, fiction, poetry, or personal narrative is created in a vacuum. It seems entirely inappropriate to present a single story and discuss it in isolation from the author's life and other works. The knowledge gained through careful reading of children's fiction and poetry can be useful to classroom teachers. Such works are both aesthetic and expressive, and show the child's style of interacting with the world. Teachers can learn more about students by: (1) encouraging their imaginings; (2) maintaining observational journals; (3) maintaining student portfolios; (4) adapting curricula and expectations; and (5) publishing student fiction. More research should be conducted into the meanings children create in their fiction and poetry. (Three illustrations are included.) (SG)