USA FROM SPACE

Satellites provide amazing real ``maps'' of the US— photographs taken from outer space—and readers will be intrigued by the awesome views this book provides. The author shows how, by using color enhancement techniques, scientists pinpoint cities, farming areas, and wilderness in territories as diverse as New York City and the Florida Everglades. The book concentrates on major cities and coastlines, perhaps because these areas are most recognizable. The text points out fascinating details, e.g., dots of vegetation show up as bright red in the picture of Manhattan, while a view of the flooded Mississippi reveals that the river is swollen to twice its regular size. The wording is occasionally confusing: The San Andreas fault can be seen ``at the left edge of the satellite image,'' but readers won't know what they're looking for. Also, Fallen's choices for commentary are arbitrary; the Great Salt Lake is pointed out, but not the salt flats, which only appear in a snapshot. Regardless of such minor flaws, this better-than-a-bird's-eye-view can't be beat. (Nonfiction. 7-13)