Genre- Informational/Bio

Title: Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship

Author: Isabella Hatoff, Craig Hatoff, and Dr. Paula Kahumbu

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Date: 2006

Age Level: All Age Levels

Summary: A stranded Hippo is saved by people and taken to Haller Park to live. The hippo, Owen, lost his mother so he has to stay in the park or he won’t be able to survive. When Owen first gets there he befriends Mzee, an Aldabra tortoise. They develope a strong bond with each other and become very close friends.

Strengths: The pictures in this book are absolutely amazing. I love them all. I love the story itself. It is so interesting and it just makes you want to know more about these two very special animals.  I want to go visit these animals. I love that the book was inspired by a six year old. I think it would really reach out to many students.

Concerns: I personally didn’t like the style of writing in the book. I know the book was inspired by a six year old. The writing sounded like it was written by a six year old and that bothered me. I just didn’t think some parts flowed well.

Classroom Use: I think this is a great book to have in the classroom and even read to students. I think it would be very beneficial to point out the fact that this book was inspired by a six year old. I think that if students know that it will make them want to write stories and know that there stories matter.