This is a true story about how a hippo who lost his mother ends up having a tortoise take his mother's place. The two definitely make an unlikely pair. :) ( )

So very very sweet! Almost toothachingly so! The illustrations of Owen are especially adorable. The concept is just cute - a hippo adopts an old, male tortoise as his mother - and it's even more wonderful in that it's a true story. It's hard not to enjoy it. I do wish there had been a bit more about what motivates Mzee to adopt Owen back, but the story is told from Owen's perspective. Perfect for storytime - maybe an untraditional mother's day story - because the illustrations are quite large and bright. ( )

Based on the true story of a young hippopotamus that lost his family and decided a tortoise would make a good new companion, this touching children’s book is probably a little too sweet and twee for some. But young children will probably appreciate the reassuring story that even if you are lost you can find a friend, and baby animals are always a winner anyway. Children old enough to understand will probably get a kick out of looking up the real Owen and M’Zee (the main characters in this book) on the internet. ( )