ALA Booklist

From one of the more fascinating applications of 3-D printing comes the story of Beauty, a bald eagle whose beak was seriously damaged by a hunter's bullet. The book opens with an imagined account of Beauty's life before her accident, which uses narrative text and color photos to introduce readers to the early stages of a bald eagle's life, from hatching to reaching adulthood. The authors carefully point out the many important uses for the beak, particularly to eat, drink, and preen. When Beauty arrived at the wildlife center, she was missing half of her top beak and unable to feed herself or keep her feathers clean, but raptor biologist Veltkamp and an engineer hatched a plan to use a 3-D printer to make the bird a prosthetic beak. The project was a success, and Beauty was finally able feed herself again, though she'll never be able to return to the wild. The book concludes with extensive information on bald eagles, from their biology to past endangered status. A heartwarming account of STEM in action.

Kirkus Reviews

An Alaskan eagle's broken beak is restored with modern technology. In a straightforward, relatively simple text extensively illustrated with photographs, writer Rose and raptor biologist Veltkamp imagine the eagle's early life and then chronicle her experience in human hands. After her beak was partially shot off and she couldn't eat or drink properly, the fully grown eagle could no longer survive in the wild. In her first rescue center, her wounds were treated and she was given a name, Beauty. Transferred to biologist Veltkamp's raptor center in Idaho, she came to the attention of an engineer who designed and printed a 3-D prosthetic to replace the missing part of her upper beak. After a dentist installed it, she could drink on her own and use her beak to preen her feathers as eagles do. Solid information about bald eagles in the wild is woven into the story, and lengthy backmatter describes eagle physical characteristics and protection efforts. Beauty's beak is now regenerating and she no longer uses that prosthetic, but, an author's note tells readers, other animals and humans do use similar replacement parts. Resources include web connections and QR codes to be used with a Cornell Lab of Ornithology app. Offer this heartwarming example of animal rehabilitation to fans of Winter's Tail, by Juliana, Isabella, and Craig Hatkoff (2009), and similar stories. (Nonfiction. 6-9)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In a remarkable wildlife rescue story with echoes of 2009-s Winter-s Tale, an eagle injured by a hunter comes under the care of biologist and coauthor Veltkamp. At her Idaho raptor center, she concocts a plan to repair Beauty-s beak, which has been reduced to a stump, using a 3-D-printed prosthetic. The tense narrative recounts how Veltkamp enlisted the help of a dentist and engineer to design and attach the new beak: -Just when they were ready to glue the beak on, Beauty started to struggle. Her wings were so strong, she burst open the wrap around them.- Readers will be fascinated by the photographs of Beauty before, during, and after the beak attachment, and although the story concludes abruptly, following the successful surgery, substantial end notes explore Beauty-s progress, bald eagles in general, and the threats they face. Ages 5-12. (Aug.)

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5Rose and Veltkamp tell the inspiring story of an Alaskan bald eagle, later named Beauty, who was shot in the face by a poacher and lost most of her upper beak. She was unable to eat, drink, or preen and would have died had she not been rescued. Because her beak didn't regenerate, Beauty eventually made her way to a raptor center in Idaho, where she received continuous care. Coauthor Veltkamp, a raptor biologist and rehabilitator, worked with engineers, a dentist, and other animal experts to fabricate an artificial beak, using a 3-D printer. After arduous testing, an appropriate beak was created and attached. Beauty could now drink and eat on her own. Outstanding full-page photographs accompany this uplifting account. Many resources for further study and additional information on the life cycle of eagles, their habitats, and their near extinction and recovery are appended. VERDICT Highly valuable for elementary schoolers as a lesson in empathy; an inspiring addition to STEM collections.Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, formerly at Trinity-Pawling School, Pawling, NY