BEARS

Large, meticulously observed color illustrations highlight this appealing survey, which includes two pages of ``Bear Facts,'' scale drawings, scientific names, and several pages each on the polar, brown, black, speckled, Asiatic, sloth, and sun bears and the giant panda. Most spreads are dominated by dramatic central illustrations, surrounded by smaller vignettes and facts about a particular bear's specialized anatomy and habits. Browsers will enjoy the majestic portraits; serious students will also want titles that are richer in detail, e.g. Pringle's Bearman (1989). An endpaper map shows ranges; unfortunately, the key (hatched lines in eight colors) is a little difficult to interpret, especially for the polar bear; still, the map serves as a complement to the ranges specified in the text. Also see Lemmon's Apes (below) in the same format. (Nonfiction. 7-10)