The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the preferences of fourth, fifth, and sixth grade urban black children with regard to characters, type of setting and story in books and the relationship between these preferences and grade level, sex, and socioeconomic status. Three hundred seven black students were read to from 15 books of five types; animal, fanciful and humorous, historical fiction, mystery and adventure, and realistic fiction. Students made a total of 822 response ratings according to preference. Data suggest that the children studied enjoyed listening to all the stories, although some, depending on content, treatment of characters, and language used, were preferred. Realistic fiction was enjoyed when content and experiences were familiar, and historical fiction was best received with a gradual introduction. Since the children in this study enjoyed some books from all genres, the investigators conclude that there is no reason to suggest that black children only like "relevant" stories. (Author/KS)