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________Playing fast and __________________loose with the facts _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ________REFERENCE BOOKS GO FROM ABYSMAL TO ZANY. BY ANDREA GOLLIN | quick -- which U.S. zoo has the most species? What year was the electric battery invented? What's the longest bridge in the world? Facts are relatively easy to come by. But packaging them in a form that's kid-friendly and interesting is a different story. There's certainly no shortage of children's reference books. Bookstores are bursting with these fact-filled, heavily illustrated tomes that range in subject from general reference -- such as encyclopedias -- to specific interests, like cars or insects. It used to be "reference" meant boring. Today's picture-filled volumes are often light on text and look like fun -- but that doesn't mean they're missing the facts. The graphics aren't mere decoration -- instead, they're part of the information being conveyed. In the most successful volumes, the text and pictures work together to convey knowledge. The just-revised, 864-page Macmillan Dictionary for Children is a comprehensive edition with an easy-to-read layout. Photos and illustrations -- 1,100 in all -- enhance the text by illustrating some of the definitions. The volume has several special features, including language note boxes, word history boxes and spelling tips. And a highlighted line warns the reader about homonyms, where applicable (for example, the definitions for baron and barren each tell the reader that the other "sound-alike word" exists). ($16.95; for ages 8 to 12, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers) The Kingfisher Children's Encyclopedia is a solid introduction to information-gathering that will teach kids how to use an encyclopedia without inducing reference-phobia. It would be difficult to crib a report from the short nuggets of information presented in this alphabetically arranged volume, but there are 24 special feature sections designed to help with school projects. Those sections cover a range of topics, such as aircraft, insects and American history. ($32.95; for ages 8 to 14, Kingfisher Books) Visually stunning and chock-full of facts, The Eyewitness Atlas of the World is in keeping with the tradition of DK Inc. (formerly Dorling Kindersley), the company largely responsible for creating a market for visual children's reference books. One look at the oversized, 160-page atlas will show you why. Small photographs of the countries supplement the maps to convey a sense of what the places actually look like. For example, the spread on China and Mongolia includes photographs of the Great Wall, the Mongolian Steppes and the Kashi market along with a standard map. ($24.95; for ages 9 and up, DK Inc.) The World Almanac for Kids 1998 is an eclectic collection of facts and more facts. The source of the questions above (and the answers that follow), the almanac is both a handy guide and an entertaining source of information, including puzzles and games. The 320-page 1998 edition includes Web site addresses where relevant. And now, the answers you've been waiting for: the San Diego Zoo, with 900 species, wins; the electric battery was invented in 1800 and the Humber Bridge in England is the longest bridge. ($8.95 paperback, $16.95 hardcover; for ages 8 to 12, World Almanac Books) Sept. 4, 1997 Andrea Gollin is a freelance writer in Miami Beach.

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