Owen & Mzee: The Language of Friendship

Title: Owen & Mzee: The Language of Friendship
Authors: Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Dr. Paul Kahumbu
Photographer: Peter Greste
Publisher and Date: Scholastic Press, 2007
Genre: Informational Picture Book
Age Range: K-5th
Recipient of the 2008 Christopher Award

Summary:

This book retells the amazing story of two of the most unusual best friends. Owen is a hippotamus who was the only one of his pod to survive the Tsunami of 2004. Owen was rescued and brought to Haller Park, a reclaimed limestone quarry. The park workers considered their options and decided to put Owen in a boma with gentle animals. Owen immediately tried to befriend, Mzee, a grumpy 130 year old male tortoise. After only a day Mzee and Owen became fast friends. When Mzee ate so did Owen, where Mzee went Owen was not too far behind, and where Mzee slept Owen did too. Their bond became stronger as they nurtured and cared for one another. They have lived together for over a year and a half now and caretakers have noticed another unbelievable aspect of their friendship. Owen and Mzee have created their own special language to communicate. They even have a noise that they call to one another that seems to be unique to only them. People come from all over the world to see these two amazing friends, and those who can’t travel read about them in the newspapers and on the web. They have become a symbol of hope for all that were involved with the Tsunami. The book comes to a close with a new plan for these two friends. The caretakers of Haller Park are considering moving Owen, Mzee, and Toto ( a new tortoise friend) into a new part of the park to be with Cleo, another lonely hippo. It will be interesting to see what happens, and to continue to watch and learn from the true story of Owen and Mzee.

Response:

What an amazing, inspirational story for us all! We as readers can learn so much from the tale of Owen and Mzee. When life becomes difficult, don’t despair or give up; look for help in unusual places. Also friendship is vital to survival. We all need to support and care of others to help us make it though each day. Another important lesson to point out to children especially is that friendship comes in all shapes and sizes. Who could picture a more unusual friendship than Owen and Mzee? We don’t just have to be friends with people who look and act just like us. Our differences are what us loveable and unique. Also we should not limit ourselves to just one friend. We should take a lesson from Owen and claim the motto: “the more the merrier.”
This was a much different kind of picture book. I don’t usually read many informational books (I’m more of a fairy tale kind of girl), but I was pleasantly surprised to find this book not only interesting and informative, but also heartwarming and inspirational. The text did a great job of explaining and retelling the story, while the photographs added the great visuals of Owen, Mzee, and their life together. This book is a great example of what our Temple Text calls a Nature informational text. This kind of text takes the reader inside the topic for an in-depth look.

Teaching Ideas:

First and foremost, make sure to take time to explore the “more about” pages in the back of the book. These pages give excellent extra information about Kenya, Owen, Malindi, Mzee, Haller Park, and the Tsunami of December 2004.
This would be a great inspirational story to read to kids any time of the day or year. Children came learn so much from Owen and Mzee: the value of friendship, resiliency in spite of hard times, and how to celebrate our uniqueness. Be sure to check out these websites to learn more about this amazing duo.

http://www.owenandmzee.com/omweb/

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Valentine/Story?id=447923&page=1

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4152447.stm