Intended to provide educators with units that will help them create student enthusiasm for reading, reinforce the teaching of reading skills, and interrelate the language arts with other areas of the curriculum, this book contains guides to 27 works of children's fiction. The guides are arranged in order of increasing difficulty and cover ten picture books, four "transitional" novels, and thirteen longer novels. Each guide opens with a brief plot summary, including a list of themes emphasized in the book. Next, a brief appraisal of the book's appeal to children, its strengths, and other relevant information is presented. The problems children might have in reading the book are discussed in a section of reading considerations, and a list of initiating activities offers suggestions for ways to introduce children to the book. Each guide also contains a list of discussion questions, suggestions for activities in art and media, creative dramatics, and composing, and a list of instructional resources. (FL)