ABC Dinosaurs: 2and Other Prehistoric Creatures

Prehistoric creatures from A to Z rear their heads in this eye-catching pop-up. A note (in small type) warns that ``creatures listed on the same page did not necessarily live at the same time.'' There's no other explanatory information, but edification isn't the primary goal here. Spreads are whimsical and lush. In the first, for example, a pair of allosaurs embrace; a brachiosaurus twists its elegant neck to stare at the egg it has just laid; open a flap and camptosaurus, diplodocus and jubbulpuria hatch from eggshells; pull a tab and three more fledglings emerge; and pull a second tab and a gallimimus disturbs a hypsilophodon egg. An underwater spread has violet, indigo and magenta animals, including a nothosaurus that, by the grace of a pull-tab, vigorously kicks its legs. Elsewhere a tyrannosaurus and stegosaurus duke it out; winged creatures glide in a sky lit by an erupting volcano; and a boy swings from an ultrasaurus skeleton displayed in a museum. Each beast's initial is printed all over its picture--the allosaurus's hide, for example, is patterned with the letter ``A''--allowing for easy identification, while a pronunciation guide demystifies such offerings as ``xiaosaurus.'' Ages 2-5. (Sept.)