Animaze! a Collection of Amazing Nature Mazes

In this cleverly conceived, richly illustrated book, 12 habitats--from Australian bush to Arctic tundra, the North American river, Southeast Asian swampland and African savanna--teem with exotic and familiar animals all trying to get somewhere. Salmon must swim upstream through rockfalls and past bears and ospreys; squirrel monkeys--salivating for guava fruit--edge along branches holding screaming toucans, sleeping ocelots and alert jaguars. Each maze presents a distinctive sense of place and community that leaves the reader appreciative of the variety of our planet's environments. While its concept is unusually imaginative and its illustrations beautifully rendered, this book requires a sophisticated perception of two-dimensionality that younger readers may lack. Still, older maze-crazed youngsters tired of humdrum games may find these a challenge. Although the volume of information may swamp all but the most curious and tenacious, answer keys and ``nature notes'' to each puzzle will help adults to mediate. Ages 4-8. (Aug.)