By Deborah Lee Rose And Jane Veltkamp

The True Story Of How Science, Technology And Human Compassion Rescued A Bald Eagle

(April 2017) This August, timed to the 10th anniversary of the Bald Eagle's removal from the Endangered and Threatened Species List, Persnickety Press releases Beauty and the Beak, the inspiring, true story of Beauty the Bald Eagle who made international news after she was shot in the beak, survived until rescued, and received a pioneering 3D-printed prosthetic beak (August 2017; ISBN: 978-1-943978-28-1; $16.95).

Beauty was born high above an Alaskan river, and quickly grew to be big and strong like her parents – soaring over rivers, lakes and streams to catch fish in her sharp talons. One day, while perched on a branch, Beauty was shot by a poacher, which shattered her beak and damaged her eye. Without her beak, Beauty could not eat, drink, or groom her feathers to keep them in top flying shape, and would soon starve. Fortunately, she was rescued and came under the care of raptor biologist Janie Veltkamp in Idaho, who was determined to find a way to help Beauty. After hundreds of hours of design and testing, Janie, along with an engineer and a dentist, used a computer and 3D printer to make and attach a new beak for Beauty.

Dozens of photographs bring this uplifting tale to life, from baby eaglets to Beauty's beak surgery, while the text teaches all about Bald Eagles: how they grow, what they eat, where they live, and more. Beauty's story and the success of efforts to protect Bald Eagles demonstrate the importance of wildlife conservation – as well as the advances of science and technology to help both humans and animals that need prosthetics. Named to the California Teachers Association's CALIFORNIA READS Teacher Recommended Books List, Beauty and the Beak makes these concepts accessible to young readers, and encourages them to grow into environmentally- conscious and responsible adults. Extensive back matter from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the world-renowned scientific authority on birds, features additional resources on how kids can help protect eagles and other birds of prey, more information about Bald Eagles and the Endangered Species Act, and a note from Janie Veltkamp on humanity's responsibility to nature.



About the Authors:

Deborah Lee Rose is an internationally published, award-winning author of many beloved children's books. Jimmy the Joey: The True Story of an Amazing Koala Rescue is a Reading is Fundamental/Macy's Multicultural Collection title and Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Students K-12. Into the A, B, Sea was named to the New York Public Library's100 Titles for Reading and Sharing. Deborah helped create and directed communications for the ALA/AASL award-winning national STEM education website Howtosmile.org, and helped created STEM activity apps for Lawrence Hall of Science which have been downloaded more than one million times. She also served as Director of Communications for Lindsay Wildlife Experience, which includes one of the first wildlife rehabilitation hospitals established in the U.S. Deborah lives in Walnut Creek, CA, and speaks at book events, conferences, schools and libraries across the country. Visit her website at deborahleerose.com.

Jane Veltkamp is a raptor biologist and rehabilitator, wildlife educator, trained nurse, and master falconer. She led the team who developed Beauty the Bald Eagle's prosthetic beak and has lifetime care of Beauty. Jane is founder and executive director of Birds of Prey Northwest, in Idaho, a raptor center which educates the public about raptor conservation, including through live raptor programs, and has provided medical treatment and rehabilitation to thousands of injured birds of prey to return them to the wild. She spent ten years of her career reintroducing ospreys and peregrine falcons to regions where they had disappeared from their habitat in South Dakota and Indiana. She rescues and cares for Bald Eagles, including Beauty, by permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Jane lives near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and is also the eagle expert for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's Native American Aviaries. Visit her website at birdsofpreynorthwest.org.

About the Persnickety Press: Persnickety Press is the sister imprint of the Cornell Lab Publishing Group. Persnickety publishes a broad range of books for children and young adults, both fiction and nonfiction, from picture books through teen titles. Our books focus on empowerment, showing young people that what they do matters, what they care about is worthy of their attention and dedication, and even as children, they can make a real difference.


More at: https://persnickety-press.com
For more information, please contact Tracey Daniels at tracey@mmpublicity.com or 828-808-2581.