A review of the relevant literature indicates a gap in the available data on the relationship between aspects of children's speech and the language of early reading material in respect of cohesion. The aim of the present study was to investigate this relationship. It involved a sample of twelve children aged five to six years from one school. Tape recorded speech samples for free speech and story telling speech were transcribed and analysed for cohesive ties to a high level of delicacy. Six early reading books written from different philosophical aproaches were analysed similarly. Analysis of the results showed that the use of cohesion in children's speech is greater than that in early reading material; that children make a distinction in speech styles between free speech and storytelling speech; and that the greatest mis‐match occurred in the books which allegedly attempt to match the text to the natural speech of children.