Hide and Seek Under the Sea

In an amiable introduction, photographer Sammon tells how his childhood dream of flying through the air evolved to becoming ``a weightless astronaut under the seas-an aquanaut!'' He shares his enthusiasm in a substantial, well-organized discussion of the three habitats comprising a coral reef ecosystem. However, young readers lured by the ""amazing tricks"" promised on the cover of the book may grow impatient. The drama and quirky ingenuity of marine life is straightjacketed by a repetitious design: one spread after another consists of a full-page photograph facing a page with brief text, a small photograph and a boxed insert titled ""Did you know... "" The content and presentation lack the dash of related books, such as Coral Reef in DK's Look Closer series. On the other hand, Sammon's ""hidden animal"" photographs may be just the draw for some aspiring aquanauts. Ages 9-up. (Nov.)