This teacher-research study examines the roles of talk and metaphorical representation in the construction of personal and social literary interpretation. Over three years, the investigator collected data from fourth-grade children's sketched interpretations about literature, their written commentaries, and conversations that occurred before, during, and after sketching and writing. Analysis of critical incidents in the earlier part of the study led to refined theoretical assumptions that were later explored in depth. Data were analyzed for patterns of discourse and use of visual symbols to mediate thinking about reading. Research findings elaborated upon the value of visual and verbal metaphors to generate multi-layered interpretations of literature, and the identification of pedagogical practices that capitalize upon this potential. New questions for further research into the nature of teacher education emerged from this work.