I am not yet arrived at the beginer stage o fbirdwatching and for me this is a worthwhile book. I have the Peterson guide and enjoy leafing through it but I don't remember the specs on the birds well enough to identify them in my limited field experience. This book helps me in that way, it may do nothing for you.
I revert to chilhood with this volume. I have colored pencils, color the outlines from the colored photos in the front of the book, and am more easily able to identify the birds I see outside my house. If you are deeply interested in birds, have been watching them for a while, have access to bird sanctuaries, this is probably not for you. If your eyesight is impaired, if you attention span is crippled by advanced age, or you just like to indulge in childhood activities such as coloring, you will probably enjoy this as much as me. I repeat, I am a beginner in the most thorough sense of the word. I find this a great value for the price and I have time to indulge myself with it.
This is not to be mistaken as a review by an expert in either birding or coloring. Expertise in birdbraining is another matter entirely. If you buy it and don't like it, give it to akid and help the world.