Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship,   ISBN:9780439851138

Customer Rating: 

This story is wonderful. It's a great tool to use when teaching about love, respect, differences, etc. It really is a story of a remarkable friendship!

Customer Rating: 

I fell in love with this book. I picked it out in the school library to share with a 2nd grader that I tutored last year. He enjoyed the book very much. I enjoyed the book so much that I ordered 3 copies: 1 for me; 1 for my grand nephew; and 1 for my grand niece. The story is a true story of affection between a baby hippo and a giant tortoise. The photographs are adorable and large.

Customer Rating: 

What do a once stranded baby hippo and a 130 old giant have in common? A unique, awe-inspiring bond of friendship!

It is just after the tremendous tsumani of December 2004, near a Kenyan village. There is little hope for the baby hippo who gets separated from his group, and washed ashore--his pod-mates are gone, and he is stuck ashore in a morass of sea grass. In the wake of devastation the villagers turn out to save the animal. It really does take a village to raise the uncooperative 400 pound baby from the shore and into a pick up truck, so he can be transported to a safe place. Dr.Paula Kahumbu and the good folks at the Haller Park Animal Refuge take Owen to his new home, a large enclosure he will share with some small antelopes and a few monkeys, as well as a solitary huge tortoise by the name of Mzee. Immediately the newcomer rushes to the old turtle where he seeks refuge. Mzee get up and walks away. Owen follows. This continues until Mzee finally grows friendlier, and the two become inseparable. They eat together, swim together, and sleep next to each other. Owen snuggles with him and nuzzles his neck, while Mzee stretches it out for more.

This is one beautiful book, and I would recommend it to anyone. The photographs are superb and they really tell the story well, along with the nicely written text. I am amazed that a big mammal--a hippo--and a big reptile--a turtle--could actually transend the huge difference in class (not just species) and form such a bond. It sounds like a nice fluffy little children's tale--too good to be true. But, to our delight and inspiration, it is true. Why can't we all just get along like that?

Customer Rating: 

No doubt about it - that's what this one is...

So here's what happens.

Heavy December rains sweep Owen and his happy hippo family down the Sabaki River in Kenya and into the Indian Ocean where, much to the chagrin of the occupants of the small coastal town of Malindi, they take up residence.

Before you can say hippopotamus, the tsunami of December 26, 2004 hits, and when things come back to normal, Owen is stranded by himself on a coral reef. The villagers, originally dismayed by the hippo clan, now work with courage and persistence to save the baby's life.

After being rescued Owen is transported to Haller Park, an animal sanctuary outside of Mombasa. Here he meets Mzee (Swahili for "wise old man") a 130 year old Aldabra tortoise.

They become friends, snuggle together, and soon are found to be inseparable.

While this is all quite heart warming, the eclectic pairing left me with an odd sense of dissonance. Mzee is exceptionally ugly, and the sight of a mammal and a cold blooded reptile snuggling together seems somewhat icky.

Nevertheless I'll give it four stars. For sure this is a book that kids will enjoy. And, if I give it anything less, my nephew just might clobber me...

Customer Rating: 

The well-written book portrays a heart-warming story about friendship. Mzee's love and guidance, along with Owen's resilience, proves that Science can't always explain what brings species together. The book contains factual material, as partially told by the general manager of Haller Park, Dr. Paula Kahumbu. Photographer Peter Greste brings this story to life with his photos that capture all the main events leading to the remarkable friendship of Owen and Mzee. Further, they capture the amazing bond the two share. The pictures do a well job of telling the story. The vocabulary of the story is geared towards an average intermediate reading level, and can easily be modified to tend to a younger audience's level of understanding. Following the story are maps with facts about Kenya and Malindi, as well as facts on hippopotami and aldabra tortoises. The last section of the book also further discusses the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami. Lastly, this wonderful addition includes websites where teachers and parents can download discussion guides and take a virtual visit of Haller Park. This is a must for any parent and/or teacher to share with students of all ages.