Reading and analysing different types of texts is a way for teachers to deal with the content of the school's values and mission. The aim of the study is to examine power relations between adults and children from the aspects of adult presence, adult guidance, and children's response, and whether the books follow the discourse of their time as regards power relations between adults and children. By making teachers aware of power relations in children's literature, we hope to be able to conduct a discussion with pupils about whether or not the power relationship complies with the school's values and mission. In the study four children's books are analysed: Bill i klämman, Emil i Lönneberga, Harry Potter och De Vises Sten and Guldmysteriet.The methods of critical discourse analysis and text analysis were used to analyse power relations between the characters in the books. The analysis shows that the two older books do not reflect power relations in keeping with their own historical time, whereas the two modern books do reflect their time. The analysis also shows that power relations between adults and children cannot be generalized, and that it is not always desirable for power relations in children's literature to decpit reality.