INSIDE DINOSAURS AND OTHER PREHISTORIC CREATURES

Speculations on dinosaur senses, digestion, locomotion, reproduction, and more. Unfortunately, Parker seldom indicates that such topics are still under investigation; and given the diversity of dinosaurs, his conclusions seem too generalized (``Far from being stupid, dinosaurs used sharp senses to help them survive''). As with this team's other titles, each spread presents a topic with a few captioned color illustrations and labels for dozens of anatomical features. Dinosaur enthusiasts may enjoy browsing the detailed, cutaway drawings, but the text is discouragingly difficult—e.g., ``A flange on the breastbone, the cristospina (keel), anchored the powerful wing-pulling muscles.'' No glossary to explain specialized terms (``staples''; ``gastroliths''; ``convergent evolution''; etc.). Of marginal use. Index. (Nonfiction. 10-12)