ONE SMALL SQUARE: CAVE

Moving from the ferns, owls, bats, wood rats, and crayfish found in the half light near a cave's entrance to the fungi, blind salamanders, colorless isopods, and sightless fish deep within, Silver presents a typical cave's geological formations, plants, and animals and goes on to tell how cave residents find food and to introduce other kinds of caves. Safety tips for spelunkers and some simple experiments demonstrating how caves are formed round out an attractive addition to the Scientific American One Small Square series, for somewhat older readers than Gail Gibbons's Caves and Caverns (1993). Handsomely detailed drawings in blue, green, and gold. Addresses to write to for more information; further reading; index. (Nonfiction. 9-12)