Beauty and the Beak
The new children’s book, “Beauty and the Beak,” has won the highest honor in children’s book publishing given by a scientific organization, the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books. The book includes information from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology about bald eagles, their near extinction in most of the United States, and their comeback thanks to conservation efforts.
“Beauty and the Beak” is the true story of the bald eagle who made world news after she was illegally shot, leaving her without a top beak. The book captures how, after Beauty’s rescue, a raptor biologist, an engineer and a dentist collaborated to create a 3-D-printed prosthetic beak. The story follows the surgery to attach the beak, leading to the moment when Beauty took her first drink of water with her new beak.
“In a time when science and technology are advancing so rapidly, and our environment is in such great need of protection, Beauty's unique story brings together many STEM threads. We hope our book, about how human compassion and technology together helped rescue a majestic bald eagle, will engage and inspire not only children, but parents, teachers, scientists, engineers and many others,” said the coauthors.
“Beauty and the Beak: How Science, Technology, and a 3D-Printed Beak Rescued a Bald Eagle” is published by Persnickety Press, the sister imprint of the Cornell Lab Publishing Group.
