Color phot. True to the goals of the Eyewitness series, high-interest topics come to life in double-page spreads with commendable photographs and illustrations. The well-written texts contain basic animal facts and are laced with just enough little-known trivia to keep readers interested. Ind.

Another lavish Eyewitness Book,'' with striking color photos of members of the cat family, both wild and tame, and a kaleidoscope of minutia—including cat ancestors (the dinictis, hoplophoneus, and miacis), mythology (Egyptian, Buddhist, Aztec, Mochica), contemporary breeds (Rex, Siamese, Birman), cats in literature and art, anatomy, feral cats, and cat care. In general, the text provides too little information to be very useful, while much of the vocabulary (robust,'' excreta,''lithe,'' gestation,''suckle'') will be difficult for younger readers. Still, they'll be happy to pore over the entrancing photos, wisely ignoring much of the text. Index. (Nonfiction 7-12)"