Two intrepid librarians

Two intrepid librarians review the best nonfiction books for children

Monday, March 4, 2019

Karl's New Beak

Karl's New Beak: 3-D Printing Builds a Bird a Better Life
by Lela Nargi
illustrated by Harriet Popham
Capstone, 2019
Grades K-6

Karl's New Beak tells the story of an Abyssinian ground hornbill living in the Smithsonian Zoo. Karl has difficulty catching food, which made him unable to find a mate. What female hornbill would be attracted to a male that can't feed his family? With the aid of a ground hornbill skeleton and a 3-D printer, the zoo's veterinarian designed and built a new lower beak for Karl.

The nonfiction narrative's conversational tone and descriptive language make this an enjoyable read for kids and adults. Karl's New Beak is an excellent example of the problem and solution structure for classrooms studying nonfiction text structures.

The bright, engaging artwork combines photographs and illustrations on a background of blueprint paper. Back matter includes additional facts about ground hornbills and a glossary. Capstone also offers a related video that can be downloaded using the 4D app. Karl's New Beak is an inspirational story that will inspire young readers to look for solutions to problems in their every day lives.





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