Narwhal: The Arctic Unicorn
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Discover the majestic unicorn of the sea with this suspenseful narrative from a BBC filmmaker and gorgeous art from an award-winning illustrator. With a crack and a creak, the frozen sea begins to melt—the ice splits apart and a new pathway forms. As winter comes to an end, a pod of narwhals begins a treacherous journey north. Along the way, they must find fish to eat, avoid a hungry polar bear, and navigate the maze of sea ice. Will their sensitive long spiral tusks and clicking calls be enough to keep them safe and help them find their way to their summer resting grounds? Join zoologist Justin Anderson and artist Jo Weaver as they reveal the mysteries of these amazing toothed whales and their Arctic home. Small text offers narwhal facts throughout, and young explorers can read more on the future of this fascinating creature in the back matter.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Anderson traces the migratory path of a narwhal pod over a year in the Arctic in this fact-filled story. As winter ends, an "old narwhal" guides a pod on a dangerous monthslong journey north, following a maze of ice breaks to the high Arctic islands where the group summers before they head south in autumn. En route, "their long tusks spearing the waves," the males spar, a calf is born, polar bears and killer whales threaten, and the narwhals perform species-specific behaviors such as echolocation. Material in a smaller font accompanies with genuinely interesting scientific facts ("When echolocating, a narwhal can click more than a thousand times per second"). Moody charcoal artwork, colored digitally in murky shades, lends a timeless aspect to ocean scenes of the subject. A brief note and index conclude. Ages 5–7.
