Product Description: The inspiring true story of two great friends, a baby hippo named Owen and a 130-yr-old giant tortoise named Mzee (Mm-ZAY). When Owen was stranded after the Dec 2004 tsunami, villagers in Kenya worked tirelessly to rescue him. Then, to everyone's amazement, the orphan hippo and the elderly tortoise adopted each other. Now they are inseparable, swimming, eating, and playing together. Adorable photos e-mailed from friend to friend quickly made them worldwide celebrities. Here is a joyous reminder that in times of trouble, friendship is stronger than the differences that too often pull us apart.
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...
An Astonishing Story on Friendship and Resilience 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.
Awesome message of friendship! The story of Mzee and Owen is a beautifully written story of two friends. The message of friendship and the bond of love shared between two souls makes this a must read for all ages.
Fantastic Story! Fantastic story, great for these turbulent times. Also recommend The Great Hippo Migration, fiction, for kids. William James Reece.
My wife loves the book Bought this book for my wife for christmas. She heard the story on the news and really wanted to know the whole story.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
