Part of the series, "Birds Up Close," Birds That Don't Fly also examines breeding and nesting, some of the rare flightless birds, and even some that are now extinct. Several of the birds, including rheas and cassowaries, are profiled and have sidebars that include information such as height, weight, habitat and predators. Individual qualities about each species are also included, examples being the kiwi's amazing sense of smell and the emu's nomadic tendencies. The book endeavours to cover a lot of ground and many species within 32 pages, and the text layout is somewhat disjointed. The table of contents and index help, but there are times when the species and facts become jumbled. Although a half page dictionary, "Words to know," helps clarify many of the terms, a more extensive glossary would be useful. The photographs are clear and varied, and there are illustrations of the extinct auk, moa and dodo. In summary, the problems are minor though, and the book introduces some lesser known species of flightless birds.

Recommended.