ANIMAL BIOLOGY

Billed as ``a comprehensive illustrated natural history guide for young readers,'' this fifth volume in ``The Prentice Hall World of Nature'' series is visually appealing but, like the others, disappointing in content. With less information than a standard encyclopedia, and presented in a compressed, technical style that's not only difficult but superficial in the actual information conveyed (Parker discusses anatomy and physiology but devotes only two pages to ``How Does the Brain Work?'' and four paragraphs to the structure of DNA), the series is of marginal use for the intended audience of 9- to 14-year-olds. The bibliographies are dated and include only adult titles; access to information is limited: glossaries are brief, and indexes omit important words and concepts. (Nonfiction. 14+)