Many classics in children's literature have metaphoric structures that enhance the structure of the plot. Metaphor is not an added frill to creative writing, nor is it the private province of poets. It is a necessary part of everyday language. One viewpoint on metaphor can be found in studies on child language acquisition. Children do use expressions that are metaphoric in structure, but which are either merely overextensions of concepts by a child who is still in the very early stages of concept development, or they come from the child's world of "let's pretend." A second way to look at metaphor is from an anthropological viewpoint. If an anthropologist wishes to understand a culture, his or her task is to understand the metaphors used by that culture. A third aspect of research on metaphors is related to linguistics and semantic language questions. Metaphors come from a deliberate choice of terms and from a clear, well-defined understanding of the diverse domains that are brought together in a specific metaphor. The role of teachers in teaching metaphor includes increasing their own understanding of metaphor, developing students' vocabulary, and enriching their factual knowledge and world experience. Journal writing and a rich program of literature and poetry will also help children explore language. Once children have been immersed in a rich language background so that they feel free to write and have had guided experiences with poetry, they can then be encouraged to experiment with the construction of metaphor. (HTH)