The best method for teaching children how to read has been debated for decades. The two major approaches have been the vocabulary controlled approach (phonics), and the literature based approach which uses children's literature to teach reading. There are proponents for both methodologies. The literature on the issue is as varied as the authors who write them. The subject seems to have led to a polarization of opinions with each side extolling the benefits of their method and denouncing the approach that does not agree with them. This paper attempts to make sense of the varied ways that teaching reading has been used in the school system by analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. The conclusion reached is that both methods have their strengths and weaknesses and the method used by teachers when they are teaching reading should be dependent on each individual student's needs, and not on pedagogy which artificially pits one against the other.