First of all, the cover grabs one's attention, and the pages inside are packed full of practically everything a beginner recorder player needs to know. There are oodles of songs with clever tiny artwork of trains to guide the player along. The fingering chart at the back is helpful, and there is even an activity page to fill in the notes of the C Scale. A CD is available separate from the book, but I didn't order that. For a beginner, the tiny notes with four or five songs on some pages might be a bit too much for a young player to follow. In that this book is geared for the beginner I'd like to see oversized notes and fewer songs per page, keeping in mind the early learner. Otherwise, for an older person who is beginning recorder, this is a great start.