This essay contains a study on the literary environment of students at high schools, an inquiry into study of language as one of the most important of man’s instruments for understanding the world around him, and a study on children’s literature, which enables children to gain an understanding of the variety of human character and human conduct, empowering them to build up their own moral universe. The author’s intention is to look at the actual literary influences encountered by students at Kyabram High School, to collect responses from the students as to what they read, hear and see, and to analyse this material according to its literary quality.