Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship

The heartwarming true story of the baby hippopotamus and the elderly Aldabra tortoise that became good friends and companions, after the 2004 tsunami killed the hippo's entire pod, is told in Owen & Mzee, an engaging picture-book that is also a father-daughter project, begun when co-author Isabella Hatkoff was six years old. Bringing in Dr. Paula Kahumbu, the ecologist who manages Haller Park, where Owen and Mzee now live, and photographer Peter Greste, the Hatkoffs set out to document an unusual cross-species relationship - it's rare for a mammal and a reptile to form such a close bond - and ended up producing a charming book in the process.

I enjoyed Owen & Mzee when it first came out in 2006, and have noted the subsequent rise of this show more kind of cross-species 'buddy book' - see also: Tarra & Bella: The Elephant and Dog Who Became Best Friends, Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival, and Tiger Pups - so when it was chosen as one of our February selections, over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "friendship," I was happy to have the chance to reread and review it here. Young readers with a love for animals, or an interest in orphan stories, will enjoy this book, and its story of the unlikely bonds that arise in and after times of crisis. I know I did! show less

I never thought hippos were interesting until I read this book. Having read MAMA by Jeanette Winter and then reading this book I felt like I was left out with a lot of important details. With this book I felt like I was right there with Owen the entire time. I was scared with him, lost, confused, frustrated. To think about a baby being alone, separated from his mother, trapped in nets and surrounded by strangers in an unknown place is horrible. The primary sources (pictures) from this situation added another level of emotions. I felt like the backstory of the tortoise was interesting too, especially how he was so used to be by himself and normally not nice to others. The bond and friendship that was formed between these two is a show more reminder of how even after a lost their is still hope in the most unimaginable places. This was such an amazing story, after reading this to a class I would love to actually visit the sanctuary to see Owen and Mzee. show less

Owen and Mzee are best friends, but how do a baby hippo and a 130 year old tortoise become such fast friends? This book follows Owen’s story from becoming an orphan to being transported to his home in Hallar Park Animal Sanctuary and his friendship with Mzee.

This story made me sad at first, but the bond between Mzee and Owen is just amazing.

This would be a wonderful book to introduce the idea of an animal sanctuary to younger students. Often they do not know the difference between a local pound or shelter and an animal sanctuary for exotic animals.

This is the CUTES story! Owen, a baby hippo that was rescued off a reef on the coast of Kenya was taken to an animal shelter and encountered Mzee, an Aldabra tortoise who was 130 years old! They became close friends; snuggling, playing follow the leader, sleeping together, tickling one another. It's a great book for learning about how even in life patterns there are always odd balls out there. That even though hippos are aggressive there are exception to break that pattern. Owen and Mzee's story is one of those exceptions. This book also talks about both these kinds of animals and what their character traits are, it would be fun to read for a class. I would also use it to introduce the idea that it's alright to have a friend that isn't show more the same as you, in fact they can be polar opposite from you. Sometimes the friendships that can't be explained are the best ones. show less

A touching, true story where Owen the Hippo is separated from his family during a tsunami. The book focuses on the friendship and love that develops between Owen and a much older tortoise, Mzee. Young children everywhere will love this tale. This is a great book to combine with a fictional text on friendship.

This is a charming true story about the unlikely friendship between an orphaned baby hippo and an old, cantankerous tortoise. When a flood wiped out Owen's herd, he was befriended by Mzee, and the two became inseparable. The full-color photographs are amazing.

It was a balmy post-tsunami day when he was discovered on the coral reefs away from shore. Two feet tall and 600 pounds, he was a meager shadow of his parents and other herd members. But, where was the herd?

He was mad, too. People kept crowding him and throwing nets on his back. He didn’t like these men and he really didn’t like nets. His instinct told him to run, to charge, but a man called Owen Sobien put a stop to all the chaos. In one fluid motion he leapt atop the rounded figure, securing him with a shark net.

Applause erupted as our new friend was ceremoniously named Owen and unceremoniously shoved in the back of a pick-up truck. The ride was dusty and hot in the African sun as they traveled to Mombasa, Kenya where an animal show more sanctuary named Haller Park awaited their arrival. Unfortunately, there was a problem; the existing herd was territorial and extremely aggressive. Owen would surely be killed.

Since he was still a baby, the park managers moved him into an enclosure called a boma. At the time the boma was home to gentler animals such as, “bushbucks, vervet monkeys and a few Aldabra tortoises.”

As they backed the truck into his new home it was becoming dark. Owen struggled to stay in the truck, but the annoying people prevailed. His slightly ungracious exit was followed by a quick bee line to a dark object in the corner of the boma. Within a minute the object moved, so he moved. The object moved again, so he moved again. Everyone smiled and called it a night.

The next morning, park managers were shocked by what they saw. Owen, a mammal, was sleeping next to a cold-blooded reptile. Not just any reptile, but a 130-year-old, grumpy, Aldabra tortoise.

This is the true story of Owen, a baby hippopotamus, and his constant-companion tortoise named Mzee [mm-Zay]. Currently, three books celebrate this extraordinary friendship: Owen & Mzee: Best Friends, Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship, and Owen & Mzee: The Language of Friendship. Each book celebrates their famous kinship, and is perfect for the child ready to transition into chapter books. Elementary teachers might find these books a refreshing approach to units on animals. Coloring sheets and activities can be found online at lafargeecosystems.com. show less