A review was conducted of the research related to the ability of elementary school children to carry out search tasks with informational text. The review was organized within a framework of components of the search process: goal formation, text selection, information extraction and integration, and evaluation. The research reviewed suggests that older and more proficient readers are better able than younger and less proficient readers to execute search tasks successfully and spontaneously. Other factors, such as the considerateness of text and the reader's prior knowledge of text structure and topic, were also shown to affect children's ability to search informational text. Two recommendations based on the research review are: (1) teachers should provide systematic instruction in how to locate information in text, beginning in the primary grades; and (2) much more informational text should be added to the reading diet of elementary school students. (A figure representing the types of search goals or tasks is included; 64 references are attached.) (Author/RS)