This week we are reading Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima. I am also giving students a quick peak into Beauty and The Beak: How Science, Technology, and a 3D-Printed Beak Rescued a Bald Eagle by Deborah Lee Rose and Jane Veltkamp.  Both books are Beehive Book nominees.

Kelp is a darling little narwhal who doesn’t mind being a different from the other narwhals of the sea.  But when a strong current carries him away, Kelp encounters some mysterious creatures who leave him wondering if maybe he isn’t a narwhal after all! Perhaps a unicorn?? This is a great book about acceptance and fitting in for young readers, with lots of colorful pictures and bubble text.  Narwhals are also really popular right now!

Beauty and the Beak is a non-fiction book that tells the fascinating story of a wild bald eagle shot in the head in Alaska.  Named Beauty, she was rescued by a policeman and cared for at a local wildlife center. Most of her beak had been shattered by the bullet and did not grow back.  One day a raptor biologist came and took Beauty to her center in Idaho.  After sharing Beauty’s story, the biologist was contacted by an engineer who thought he might be able to help the eagle.

The book shows how a new beak was printed on a 3D printer and attached to Beauty’s old, broken beak, giving her a second chance.   The book is filled with large, colorful pictures of the eagle and the process of making her a new beak.  Every class I’ve talked to about this book has loved it!  It will stay on our shelves for a few weeks so everyone has a chance to look at it in the library before we start checking it out.  Look for it at your local library too.