"Maggie the Magni¿cent" is something entirely different in children's nature stories. Readers of previous books by this author have realised that he approaches the popular theme of Australian bird and animal lore from an angle never before attempted by a writer of Juvenile books--sheer entertainment deftly combined with authenticity of detail. The birds do not talk, but they LIVE. "Maggie the Magni¿cent" is an exceedingly well-written story of Australia's most popular black and white bird, the magpie. Though Maggie himself is the chief character and his life and adventures are portrayed faithfully, we meet a number of humans who are drawn so naturally that they might be your next door neighbours. There is real human interest as well as bird interest in "Maggie." The episodes range from grave to happy, many being of such laughter-provoking quality as to go down in juvenile ¿ction history. Though designed primarily for the child mind, adults will appreciate the story as a rich page torn from the diary of their grandparent's childhood.