DISCOVER: MYSTERIES OF THE PAST AND PRESENT: A ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM BOOK Katherine Grier Toronto, Kids Can Press, 1989. 96pp, paper, $9.95 ISBN 0-921103-86-7. CIP Grades 3 to 7/Ages 8 to 12 Reviewed by Frances Nokes. Volume 17 Number 5 1989 September From its exciting cover to its bubbly (and informative) illustrations and double-page-spread-per-topic layout, complete with glossary and index, the Royal Ontario Museum's Discover announces itself as a rare treat. Answering the question "What is a museum?" the title's four main thrusts are archaeology, cultural and physical anthropology, and nature study. The great webs which these fields comprise are dealt with only through very spe­cific threads. Interesting facts are centered around fun activities as focal points. These clearly delineated activities are divided into four main sections: time and what it does to things; the world around you; clues to the past, and ways of stepping back in time, with a supplementary section on useful recipes. A host of activities illustrating principles of biology, astronomy, history, paleontology, as well as insights into different life-styles in different eras, reflects the multi-disciplinary approach of Canada's largest museum. "Fake Your Own Fossil," "New Fun with Old Games," are only two of forty possible dynamic activities. A consideration of supper - setting, customs, and man­ners - gives a rather startling glimpse of life seven hundred years ago! As with the cream of the crop in contemporary juvenile non-fiction, the subtleties have not been avoided. One chapter is entitled "Even the Best Guesses Can Be Wrong." An enhancement to a child's sense of the past and appreciation of sci­entific process not to be missed! Frances Nokes, Winnipeg, Man.