A study examined basal readers and trade books in terms of reading ease as estimated by readability formulas and the incidence of figurative language. Based on an earlier study, the study had three major goals: to (1) assess and compare two reading series ("A" and "B") at each of two grade levels; (2) assess and compare selections from these reading textbooks with trade books recommended for independent reading; and (3) explore the relationship of formula estimates of readability to figurative language usage. The Fry and Dale-Chall readability formulas were applied to realistic fiction samples from the third and sixth grade readers of two basal series and 12 trade books. Three stories were selected from each basal reader and a minimum of three samples was taken from each story. Samples from the trade books and basal readers were analyzed for incidence of simile, metaphor, hyperbole, and personification. Findings disclosed the following: (1) at third grade level the readability of textbook selections from Series B ranged from 2nd to 4th grade level (Fry) and were below 4th grade level (Dale-Chall), while trade books were nearly always above grade level; (2) third grade textbook selections from Series A were more variable--most were above grade level--as were selections from trade books; (3) readability of both sixth grade series was at or below grade level as it was for all tradebooks except one; and (4) figurative language in both textbooks and trade books was unexpectedly low, with little difference between either series or between both series and trade books. It is thus necessary to go beyond formula assessments to discover whether figurative language affects children's comprehension of prose. (JK)