In an exploration of the comprehension process of the beginning reader, 16 first and second grade students were each asked to listen to two stories--one a narrative account and the other an expository passage-- and then immediately to retell them. Recall protocols were compared by propositional analysis for text-related superordinate and subordinate propositions and for text-unrelated propositions. In addition, superordinate and subordinate propositions from the recall protocols were mapped against the original text protocols to determine position within the text of the remembered material. Results showed superior recall of superordinate over subordinate propositions. In addition, narrative text was recalled more easily than expository text, and second grade children recalled more from both types of text than did first grade children. In expository text recall, first grade children seemed to rely on relationship to previous experience while second grade children combined relationship to previous experience with recency of presentation. The findings suggest that the comprehension process may change developmentally. (Author/FL)