EXPLORING THE WORLD OF BIRDS: AN EQUINOX GUIDE TO AVIAN LIFE Adrian Forsyth and Laurel Aziz Willowdale (Ont.), Firefly Books, 1990. 72pp, paper, $9.95 ISBN 0-920656-94-3. CIP Grades 7 to 9/Ages 12 to 14 Reviewed by Peter Freeman. Volume 19 Number 1 1991 January This is the fourth in a series of books produced by the editors of Equinox magazine. The authors have produced a book that overflows with information squeezed into three chapters. These chapters on morphology, behaviour and ecology are beautifully complemented by the high-quality colour photographs. Since most of the birds presented in the photographs are native to Canada, this book could be of some value to young field naturalists. The authors' goal in writing the book seems to be to fascinate readers with fast-paced text. Forsyth and Aziz then take the reader on a roller-coaster ride to despair as the effects of environmental degradation are presented. Fortunately, the reader is left with hope in the final sections dealing with bird identification and banding. I read this book several times, not because of the content, but because it irritated me. 1 think I now understand why. Having photographs that typi­cally occupy over 50 percent of a page can be a problem, especially when the text is printed in three columns that flow around the photograph. Each line of text typically contains only five or six words in what I consider small type. As I read I found myself tracking my reading with my finger in order to follow the message. The book is broken into two-page sections into which a large amount of information is squeezed. This physical constraint combined with the page layout made the book difficult for me to read. I think young readers would encounter similar problems. In my opinion, this book is not as well written or produced as previous endeavours. Peter Freeman, Booth Memorial Junior High School, Prince Rupert, B.C.