Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship

Hatkoff, I. Hatkoff, C. and Kahumbu, P. (2006). Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship. New York: Scholastic Press.

Lexile: AD920 I think this could be used with students as young as 4th grade.

Author Credibility: Isabella and her father Craig Hatkoff heard the story of Owen and Mzee and teamed up with the director of the sanctuary where Owen and Mzee live, Dr. Paula Kahumbu, to write this story. Dr. Kahumbu oversees the lives of Owen and Mzee.

Summary:
Owen is a baby hippopotamus that was left alone on a reef not far from the shore of a small town in Africa after a tsunami. The villagers sent Owen to an animal sanctuary called Haller Park. Dr. Paula Kahumbu and Stephen Tuei as well as the park staff worked together to make a place for Owen to live. He was placed in a habit with several other animals including Mzee, a 130 year old Aldabra tortoise. Mzee was not a social animal until Owen came. Owen went directly to Mzee when he was released into his new home. Mzee did not like this at first, but he soon warmed to his new companion. The two spent all of their time together. Word of the two unlikely friends spread quickly. Now, many people come to see them and their photographs can be found all around the world. In the “More About…” section of the book the authors tell that Owen and Mzee have been moved to a place where there are more hippopotami. The book also states that the two are still close friends.

Standards:
*Science
Life Science
Science in personal and social perspectives
*Social Studies
People, places, and the environment

Illustrations:
The illustrations of this book consist of the photographs by Peter Greste. Captions accompany these amazing pictures. The photographs give the reader a better understanding of what is going on in the story. The photographs capture the essence of the story. The photographs not taken by Greste are given credit at the end of the story. Maps are also used in the “More About…” section to give the reader a better understanding of where the story took place.

Access Features:
*Author’s note
*Photography with captions
*Maps
*More about…

How I would use the book in my classroom:
This book could be used in so many ways in the classroom. It could be used to illustrate a story of friendship. Owen and Mzee are unlikely friends. This could lead into a discussion of other unlikely friends found in litature, the world, their life, etc. This book could be used as a study of how community and science are interlinked. What can the students do in their community to help others. It could also be used to learn about a hippopotamus and a tortoise. A comparision and contrast activity would be good to use with this story.

My response to the book:
I enjoyed reading this book. I was truly captivated by the pictures of the two animals together. This is such a unique story. It has so much potential to be used in the classroom. It was informative and easy to read.

Related Texts:
(2006). Encyclopedia of Animals. Great Neck Publishing.