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Narwhal

Unicorn of the Arctic

Illustrated by Deena So'Oteh
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Hardcover
$18.99 US
9.5"W x 11.25"H x 0.43"D   | 20 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Oct 22, 2024 | 48 Pages | 9780593377789
Age 4-8 years | Preschool - 3
Reading Level: Lexile AD630L | Fountas & Pinnell P

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Venture to the Arctic Ocean and discover real life underwater unicorns--narwhals--in this stunningly illustrated nonfiction picture book.

A HORN BOOK AND BOOKLIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR


You are a narwhal.
Shy... Swift... Small...
Humans call you unicorn of the Arctic.

When winter ice covers the Arctic Ocean, a narwhal pokes his head through a patch of open water, his tusk--a six-foot long tooth--pointed to the sky.

Join this mammal as he jousts with another narwhal, floats with his pod, and uses echolocation to find his prey. When warmer weather arrives, he will migrate towards summer ground. But he must be careful! Predators--orcas and polar bears--will be hungry and looking for a meal.... How will the narwhal escape? Will he be able to return to the winter bay?

Paired with atmospheric illustrations by debut illustrator Deena So'Oteh, nonfiction master Candace Fleming delivers a picture book, uniquely told in second person, that expertly explores the mysterious and fascinating unicorn of the Arctic.
  • NOMINEE | 2026
    Maine Student Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2026
    North Carolina Children's Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2026
    Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award
★ "Together, art and text make this species biography not merely a lesson but an adventure, too." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "Rich in facts and feelings, a warm invitation to join the pod of sea mammal lovers." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "This will be popular with animal lovers everywhere—particularly those convinced these unicorns are imaginary." —Booklist, starred review

★ "Readers are immediately immersed in the life of a narwhal as the unseen narrator invites them into the narrative....striking and informative." —The Horn Book, starred review

"The digital art embodies an approach of wonder and science....This would make an informative class read, or as a nonfiction companion to the sillier Narwhal of the Narwhal and Jelly series." —The Bulletin
© Scott Fleming
Candace Fleming is the award-winning author of more than fifty books for children and young adults. The recipient of the American Library Association’s Children’s Literature Legacy Award and Margaret A. Edwards Award, she has written many acclaimed nonfiction titles, including Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown, winner of the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award; Murder Among Friends: How Leopold and Loeb Tried to Commit the Perfect Crime, which received four starred reviews; The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh, also a YALSA recipient; and The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia, which won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was recognized as a Sibert Nonfiction Honor Book. Her beloved picture books include Giant Squid, a Sibert Honor Book, and Oh, No!, which received three starred reviews. View titles by Candace Fleming

Educator Guide for Narwhal

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Photos

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About

Venture to the Arctic Ocean and discover real life underwater unicorns--narwhals--in this stunningly illustrated nonfiction picture book.

A HORN BOOK AND BOOKLIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR


You are a narwhal.
Shy... Swift... Small...
Humans call you unicorn of the Arctic.

When winter ice covers the Arctic Ocean, a narwhal pokes his head through a patch of open water, his tusk--a six-foot long tooth--pointed to the sky.

Join this mammal as he jousts with another narwhal, floats with his pod, and uses echolocation to find his prey. When warmer weather arrives, he will migrate towards summer ground. But he must be careful! Predators--orcas and polar bears--will be hungry and looking for a meal.... How will the narwhal escape? Will he be able to return to the winter bay?

Paired with atmospheric illustrations by debut illustrator Deena So'Oteh, nonfiction master Candace Fleming delivers a picture book, uniquely told in second person, that expertly explores the mysterious and fascinating unicorn of the Arctic.

Awards

  • NOMINEE | 2026
    Maine Student Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2026
    North Carolina Children's Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2026
    Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award

Praise

★ "Together, art and text make this species biography not merely a lesson but an adventure, too." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "Rich in facts and feelings, a warm invitation to join the pod of sea mammal lovers." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "This will be popular with animal lovers everywhere—particularly those convinced these unicorns are imaginary." —Booklist, starred review

★ "Readers are immediately immersed in the life of a narwhal as the unseen narrator invites them into the narrative....striking and informative." —The Horn Book, starred review

"The digital art embodies an approach of wonder and science....This would make an informative class read, or as a nonfiction companion to the sillier Narwhal of the Narwhal and Jelly series." —The Bulletin

Author

© Scott Fleming
Candace Fleming is the award-winning author of more than fifty books for children and young adults. The recipient of the American Library Association’s Children’s Literature Legacy Award and Margaret A. Edwards Award, she has written many acclaimed nonfiction titles, including Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown, winner of the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award; Murder Among Friends: How Leopold and Loeb Tried to Commit the Perfect Crime, which received four starred reviews; The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh, also a YALSA recipient; and The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia, which won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was recognized as a Sibert Nonfiction Honor Book. Her beloved picture books include Giant Squid, a Sibert Honor Book, and Oh, No!, which received three starred reviews. View titles by Candace Fleming

Additional Materials

Educator Guide for Narwhal

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)