Owen & Mzee: Language Of Friendship

Owen and Mzee

by Isabella Hatkoff, Paula Kahumbu, Craig Hatkoff

The in-demand follow-up to the New York Times bestseller, OWEN & MZEE, the friendship that has touched millions around the world. In this exciting follow-up to OWEN & MZEE, the New York Times bestselling story about an orphaned baby hippo named Owen and the 130-year-old giant turtle, Mzee, Craig Hatkoff explores the language of love, friendship, and nurturance that these two incredible creatures share with one another. This book traces their first year together, including their adorable playful ways and the unique "language" that they have developed.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Animals, Friendship, Childrens, Africa, Nature

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Isabella Hatkoff is the co-author of best-selling Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship and Owen & Mzee: The Language of Friendship with her father, Craig Hatkoff, and ecologist Dr. Paula Kahumbu. Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship was published in the spring of 2006 and became an international phenomenon. She lives in Manhattan with her family.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

So yes, this sequel to Isabella and Craig Hatkoff's true tale of the friendship between a tortoise (Mzee) and a young hippopotamus (Owen), their Owen & Mzee: Language Of Friendship presents a detailed and informative account of Owen's and Mzee's first year and a half together at the sanctuary (Haller Park in Kenya). And while there is a short and succinct account of Owen's rescue and his transport to the sanctuary, most of Owen & Mzee: Language of Friendship features and provides information on Owen and Mzee's life together at the sanctuary (their friendship, their daily lives, even some of the problems and potential challenges they might be facing in the future).

Now personally, I have actually enjoyed the sequel, I have liked Owen and Mzee: Language of Friendship considerably more than the original story, than Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship. The photographs are, of course and once more, simply amazing and really tug at one's heartstrings, and while the narrative, while Isabelle and Craig Hatkoff’s featured text is once again rather long-winded, the fact that Owen and Mzee: Language of Friendship is basically all about Owen and Mzee's friendship and their lives together at the sanctuary, this makes the sequel rather more interesting and appealing to me. For in my humble opinion, Owen & Mzee: The True Story Of A Remarkable Friendship spends a bit too much time recounting Owen's rescue; the part detailing and describing Owen and Mzee's developing friendship (after Owen has arrived at Haller Park), it always feels a bit rushed and slightly uneven.

And especially the fact that Owen and Mzee: Language of Friendship also shows how Owen and Mzee have seemingly developed their very own and completely unique communicative "language" is absolutely fascinating, and how evocatively sweet and poignant it is that Owen has also made friends with another aldabra tortoise (that Owen made friends with Toto when Mzee had to be isolated due to a medical condition). And yes, I really do hope that Owen, Mzee and little Toto will be able to remain together, even if (or perhaps more likely when) Owen will one day have to be moved to another part of the sanctuary.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owen and Mzee: the Language of Friendship picks up where the original book entitled Owen and Mzee ended. Owen is a baby hippopotamus who was orphaned after a tsunami hit the coast of Kenya in 2004. After he was rescued and taken to a wildlife refuge, Owen immediately bonded with grumpy 130 year old (yes really!) Mzee, an Aldabra tortoise.

This wonderful true story traces the friendship of Owen and Mzee through the year and a half after their first meeting. As the authors aptly state “when you need a friend, one will be there for you” and “best friends come in all colors, shapes, and sizes”. Many color photographs accompany this account of a remarkably rare and beautiful friendship.

This is a great book for children and adults to read and enjoy!

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging follow-up to the original Owen and Mzee book Owen & Mzee: The True Story Of A Remarkable Friendship, which I definitely recommend reading first and preferred to this one. The sequel is still very enjoyable and does have a bit of background on how Owen and Mzee's friendship came to be, so if this is the only version of their story you can get, I still recommend it.

The sequel talks about the amazing, unique language Owen and Mzee created for communication, a combination of sounds and body language, nips, etc. I loved this section and it is utterly fascinating how two very different species learned to communicate and share such a bond.

The sequel also discusses the keepers' growing concerns as Owen continued to grow, getting big enough to pose a bit of a safety concern for Mzee and also not acting enough like a "hippo." They wanted to keep Owen and Mzee together, if possible, but I gather from the sanctuary website that this was ultimately not possible. They didn't go into many details, and I hope Owen and Mzee are both doing well without their friend.

I did enjoy this book, especially the language section and the one where Owen makes another tortoise friend (Toto) when Mzee had to be away recovering from an infection for a few weeks. It was cute seeing Owen hanging out with BOTH tortoises when Mzee got back, but it was also clear that Mzee was still Owen's BEST friend ;-)

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book shortly after reading its predecessor “The Amazing True Story of Owen and Mzee” (which I completely loved!). I adored this book as well, but found a lot of the information to repeat what was already written in the first book.

This book struck me as, not so much a “sequel”, but more a “second book.” So, if you can’t get your hands on the first book, you’ll still be able to follow events from the start with this one.

This book does extend on the actual relationship between Owen and Mzee (and another tortoise which comes into play). How these two very different animals relate and communicate, and the extent of their bond and friendship. And I do think the pictures are, overall, better in this book (probably because there was more time in which they could be gathered). So, for these reasons I was thoroughly delighted to read this installment!

Still, no matter what, this is an incredible story and one I encourage everyone to familiarize themselves with!

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book to continue to capitalize on the friendship of this hippo and tortoise couple and it's still wonderful. I am happy to support them as the funds go to support the animals.

[Anke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owen and Mzee~ The language of Friendship is the second book written by a talented team of caring people, which continues to tell the amazing story of a unique bond of friendship between the most unusual pair, a baby hippo and 130-year-old tortoise. In late December of 2004 after a terrible tsunami developed in the Indian Ocean many lives were changed forever, torn apart by devastation, death and ruin. Owen, at the time a baby hippo, was washed down a river in Kenya, separated from his mother and his hippo pod. He was later rescued by a determined group of people, who brought him to Haller Park, a wildlife sanctuary located outside of Mombasa in Kenya and placed in a safe area that included Mzee, a grumpy, very old tortoise. From the moment he entered the park, Owen followed Mzee around everywhere. Initially, Mzee seemed a bit miffed, but in time these two grew close. Now, with this sequel, the story continues and we learn about how they communicate as well as some of the staff's concerns about Owen’s behavior. Does he think he’s a hippo or a tortoise and how will this affect his health?

Once children read this book they will want to read Owen and Mzee~The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship. Although a lot of the information is the same, the photographs are beautiful and sometimes they tell more of the story than the words on the page.

Kirkus Reviews recommends this book for ages 5 through 10. It contains a lot of print and will need to be read aloud to the younger students, but the photographs will grab their attention. The beginning pages include a foreword from the father-daughter team who helped to write the story, as well as a pronunciation guide for seven Swahili words included in the book. For example, Mzee is pronounced mm-ZAY and means “wise old man.” The last pages include a small map and information about Kenya and Malindi, as well as some more detailed information about Owen, Mzee and Haller Park. Due to its geographical location and significance related to the 2004 tsunami, this book can be a mentor text when studying animals in Africa or it could be used in tandem with the science curriculum when researching extreme weather conditions.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is the sequel to Owen & Mzee: The True Story Of A Remarkable Friendship, which was selected as one of the books for the February 2012 - Friendship reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

We read the first story more than two years ago, so our girls didn't really remember much about this fascinating story. I was happy that we were able to read this story together; it's a heartwarming story about friendship, comfort and the wonders of nature's creatures. We really enjoyed reading this story together and we will soon check out the Haller Park website and www.owenandmzee.com to find out more about the lives of these amazing friends.

interesting quote:
"No matter how things turn out, the story of their friendship will always remind the world that when you need a friend, one will be there for you. And that best friends come in all colors, shapes, and sizes." (p. 29)

[❀angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe this is a true story. If I ever have children, this will definitely be on the bed-time reading list.

I think I mentioned in another review I was working on a "romance" display during my shift and the children's librarian asked if I was going to include picture books and recommended Tadpole's Promise. Coincidentally, the branch manager used to be a children's librarian and also asked if I was going to include picture books and recommended this one. "There's more than one kind of love," she insisted. Well, she's right. This is definitely a love story, and it warmed my heart.

(Side note: People love accidentally forgetting their stuff and leaving on my table next to the Reference Desk. I saw this book and thought that someone did it again, grrr, until I realized the branch manager left it for me to read LOL. She's the best)

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a follow-up to "Owen and Mzee: the True Story of a Remarkable Friendship". The book begins by giving an overview of how Owen and Mzee came to be friends. Some of the facts are more detailed than in the first book. It is one and half years later, so more information is available. The focus of this book is how Owen and Mzee have created their own means of communicating with each other. At the end, it is mentioned that the experts of Haller Park are trying to safely introduce Owen to a female hippo, Cleo, who was also orphaned. Owen has already made a second tortoise friend, Toto; so if this introduction is successful, Owen would have a larger network of friends.

More factual information is provided at the end of the book for curious minds.

[A_Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owen is a young hippo that was stranded by the 2004 tsunami and then rescued. He was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Kenya where he met Mzee, a 130 year old tortoise. The two formed an unusual friendship and bond that surprised everyone. Owen and Mzee developed their own communication system, wander together, eat together, sleep together, and are constant companions. Concerns and issues that will eventually affect both animals are presented honestly and thoughtfully. Possible solutions are presented. The text and full color photos of the two in their environment interacting in their unique way support each other equally in expressing this story. Grade K and up. Can be used when studying animals, for the themes of friendship, survival, perseverance, etc.
Scholastic Press, 2007

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship was a true story of a remarkable friendship. A curmudgeony tortoise befriends an orphan baby hippo, and life is good. It ends with the idea that we can learn much about kindness and friendship from watching these animals.

In this nonfiction sequel, we learn that the tortoise's shell is cracked and that his keepers worry the hippo will accidentally crush him. Meanwhile, the hippo doesn't eat right or sleep right since he eats only tortoise food and sleeps when Mzee sleeps. People have tried to separate them before, but they didn't respond well. They're going to have to be separated eventually, though, for the sake of their own health.


But isn't it an inspiring friendship?

[booklady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oops! I accidentally ordered the second book about this remarkable pair from the library not realizing there were two. Went ahead and read it anyway; it's really sweet and I don't think the sequence matters that much. About the continuing friendship between a young hippo named Owen, stranded by the 2004 tsunami and rescued by a man named Owen, and a one-hundred and fifty year old tortoise, Mzee. Just think what a lot of changes Mzee (pronounced Mm-ZAY) has seen in his lifetime!

[Amy Stipp · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're going to read one of these books (the story of a remarkable friendship or the Language of Friendship) I would recommend reading this one. The first few pages are a recap of the first book and then it tells what happens to their friendship as Owen continues to grow.
I would recommend this to 1st-5th grade. A beautiful story of friendship and how as living creatures, we need companionship and love.

[William Doran · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Owen the Hippo's family is killed in the 2004 tsunami, he is rescued by kindly local people in Kenya and sent to a nature preserve. Mzee is a 130-year old tortoise known for being a cantankerous loner. In this touching story of interspecies friendship, we learn about the this unlikely pair of friends. Students will love this story of acceptance and friendship told in straightforward prose and adorable photographs of this real-life duo.

[Cari ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about their sweet friendship!

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book for children and families! It tells the continued story of the friendship of a hippo and a tortoise in a wildlife refuge in Kenya!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owen and Mzee: The Language of Friendship by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, Paula Kahumbu, photographed by Peter Greste, is a worthy sequel to Owen and Mzee: The True Story Of A Remarkable Friendship, concentrating on the first year of Mzee's life at the Haller Park nature sanctuary.

After a summary of Owen's rescue, and the initial friendship of Owen with Mzee, more details are given, along with great photos, info about Toto and Cleo, and a discussion of the possible future of the two friends.

The text has a large font, and features more details than the True Story. A letter from Isabella and Craig Hatkoff opens the book. More information about the area, Owen, Mzee, Haller Park, and the tsunami of 2004 follows the text.

Peter Greste's captioned photographs are again the highlight, providing further evidence of the growing bond and the language of friendship that develops between Mzee and Owen. There are small photos, panels and full page spreads. My favorite images include the cover, title page, sharing a meal, Mzee leading, Mzee nipping Owen's tail, series of Owen nudging Mzee's shell, Owen and Toto, Owen, Mzee & Toto, and Cleo.

I enjoyed this a bit more than Owen and Mzee: The True Story Of A Remarkable Friendship because of the further details of their daily lives and relationship, including the possible futures for Owen & Mzee, issues of safety and procreation, and the great photographs of the two friends. This could be a springboard to researching tsunamis, Kenya, and wildlife sanctuaries. Highly recommeded for school and public library collections.

For ages 8 and up, animals-nature, informational, ecology, friendship, hippos, tortoises, communication, and fans of Owen, Mzee, Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, Paula Kahumbu and Peter Greste.

[Memory Kopp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is the second installment of the story of Owen and Mzee. This tells the story of the first year and a half of Owen and Mzee a hippopotamus and tortoise that live in Kenya and have formed a special uncommon bond of friendship. It began after a tsunami in Southeast Asia separated Owen the hippo from his mother so he adopted Mzee the tortoise as his new “mom”. After seeing an article in the newspaper, father and daughter pair Isabella and Craig Hatkoff were inspired to tell more of the story about this unlikely pair. They enlisted the help of Dr. Paula Kahumbu, who runs the Haller Park in Mombasa where Owen and Mzee live. They have developed a way of communicating that that is original to only themselves. The workers at their park spend countless hours observing them and trying to understand their communication. They have also been watching as Owen began to make friends with another tortoise named Toto and then as they hope to introduce Owen to another hippo named Cleo. My favorite part was when they were eating and Owen finished eating before Mzee and went into the water, then Mzee went into the pond and pushed Owen out back onto the land so he had to wait until Mzee was finished so they could go in the pond together. I thought this was so funny, almost like a parent setting the rules for a child to follow. Peter Greste provides his photographs to aid in the telling of this heartwarming story. They help give a true depiction of the events of the lives of Owen and Mzee. With these photographs you are connected to the story and see the true bond of friendship that has formed. With the photographs and the firsthand accounts from Dr. Kahumbu the story is told and it will hopefully inspire more people like it did the Kathoff’s. This story I feel could be a great read for any age young or old. It teaches freindships, the devastation of tsunamis, and the great work that comes from nature and animal preserves.

[Derek Slagle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Owen and Mzee: The language of friendship is a nonfiction book that would be good to use in a an elementary classroom. This book would be used to examine various themes such as friendship, kindness and empathy. This true story is about the incredible friendship between a hippopotamus named Owen and a tortoise named Mzee. When Owen looses his family in a terrible flood, his relocation to the Haller Wildlife Park changed his life forever. It was one morning, when a park employee found Owen and Mzee snuggled together and from that moment on, this wonderful friendship and family was created. I found it interesting that these two animals created their own communication and family bond with one another.

In the classroom, I could have my students compare and contrast the two animals and figure out why they got along so easily. Also I could read this to my classroom to indirectly solve a problem of friendship in the classroom. I could go even more in depth and create a text section just on friendship or even tortoises or hippos. I really enjoyed how an animal can be taken out of context and still figure out how to adapt to their environment around them.

[Kaylee Holleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the true story of an unlikely friendship between an orphaned baby hippo and a 130 year old giant turtle. After a devastating tsunami, a young hippopotamus was separated from his family and brought by rescuers to a wildlife sanctuary in Kenya. It was here when the unlikely happened; Owen, the hippo, adopted an ancient giant turtle named Mzee as his ‘mother’. After years of being alone, Mzee accepted Owen as its own and the two formed a deep bond.

The story provides detailed accounts of the pair’s friendship: their unique ‘language’, their shared meals, their swims in the water and their matching meals. The combination of text and colorful photographs bring the story to life for its readers. At the end of the book, the author gives the readers more information on Kenya, the wildlife sanctuary and elements of East African culture. In this way, not only does the book present an inspiring story of unexpected friendship, but it also teaches readers about the culture of the region. There wasn’t much depth to this story but that wasn’t really the point. It is a simple story of unexpected friendship and acceptance that younger readers will love.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our family *loves* the true story of Owen and Mzee. Brought together by the 2004 Tsunami; Owen and Mzee have a remarkable friendship. Owen is a young hippopotamus. Mzee (Mm-zay) is a 130 year old Aldabra tortoise. Both animals overcome instinctual behavior to develop a true bond.

The Owen and Mzee books have been fabulous learning tools for us. The globe and maps have been explored as we located Africa, Kenya, and the other countries the Tsunami affected. We've researched Tsunami's and other weather phenomena. Dug into our Animal Encyclopedia reading about Hippo's and Aldabra Tortoises. And most importantly had our beliefs further strengthened that true friendship and family knows no limits.

This book is somewhat of a continuation of the 2006 "Owen and Mzee The Story of a Remarkable Friendship". We slightly prefer the 2006 book to this one.

[Q_Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to this amazing, unique friendship between Owen, a hippo and Mzee a tortoise, captured me as much as the first book, if not more. I am interesting in finding out more about the future of these two, because the authors note that things have got to change in some way for Owen because he is awake in the heat of the day when hippos usually sleep and eats the same food as Mzee which is not what hippos eat, so there is a discussion beginning about moving Owen into an area with another orphaned hippo. Will Mzee go to? Is that the best for him? Will Owen be able to live without Mzee? All in all, it is a sweet, sweet story about friendship. This is in Kenya, so could be included in any study of Africa, or animals or friendship. There also is a board book for preschooler based on this book entitled Owen & Mzee: A Day Together.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This inspirational true story is about the incredible friendship between a hippopotamus named Owen and a tortoise named Mzee. When Owen looses his family in a terrible flood, his relocation to the Haller Wildlife Park changed his life forever. It was one morning, when a park employee found Owen and Mzee snuggled together and from that moment on, this wonderful friendship and family was created. Through each page of this astonishing story, you learn about the development of their friendship, which teaches that even the most unlikely of two could become something incredible. Every picture seems improbable when looking at a giant hippo and tortoise working together and taking care of each other. But the photographs taken by Peter Greste add love to every page telling their story with more than just words.

[McKenna Banks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nonfiction book about the true story of the tortoise named Mzee and the baby hippo named Owen. Owen was washed ashore by a tsunami when he was just a baby. He was rescued and placed in a wildlife sanctuary in Africa, but they did not know where to put him. They were afraid the adult hippos would hurt him. They then decided to put him in the habitat with a random assortment of gentle animals. Owen took to Mzee, the 130 year old "loner" turtle, instantly. Ever since that day, the pair has been inseparable. No one understands the bond these two unlikely friends share.

I loved this book! It is such beautiful story of friendship, acceptance, and diversity. The real pictures are also so interesting! This may be my favorite nonfiction book.

Students who have an interest in animals would love this book! It would also be great to use to teach about animals or even friendship.

[Susan Barnaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever have a bad day, one of those days when you wonder if it's all worth it and if there is any hope that humans can know what it is to be united.... read this. The continuing story of Owen and Mzee, best friends. Observers are still puzzled as to why a reptile like Mzee would develop an attachment to a mammal like Owen. It gets more freaky - they've developed a language that is unique to the two of them, bearing no relation to hippo or tortoise noisemaking. So there, bad day! We're all relational beings who will rise above the most deeply engrained differences in order to be together.

[Destiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read watched a documentary on Netflix about odd animal relationships like this one. I was fascinated by and and when I read the book. Aside from being a cool story about two random animals that happened to randomly become friends it has a great message for kids. It shows that anyone can be friends. Even those you don't think you like, similar to the way the tortoise felt about the hippo at first, we can learn to love and depend on others when give the chance. The other way around we can continue to be kind to those who might not reciprocate that affection to build bonds that might have otherwise been over looked. A great story of true friends!

[Kyra Arland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story follows the true friendship of a tortoise (Mzee) and a hippopotamus, Owen. The two live in the Haller Park in Kenya. Owen is a baby hippo that was orphaned after a tsunami hit Kenya in 2004. After he was rescued and taken to the wildlife refuge, he bonded with a tortoise named Mzee. The storyline follows their friendship through the first year and a half together. This is a cute true story about two different animals becoming friends. This is a great story for children to read because they are able to learn that you can be friends with people different than you. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good short read, or to children looking for a cute animal story.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a sequel, so I’m not sure what information it gave in the other one, but it was interesting to see the inter-species relationship. The two animals even developed their own form of communication. However, while everyone is excited about their friendship, it does create some problems that aren’t solved in the book.

[Allie Pitcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book soo much. I loved how two animals that are very different became friends. I also liked how this book was a true story and students could relate to the animals. I would share this book with any grade but would use it in the higher grades (4-5) for independent reading.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautiful true story is both touching and intriguing. Filled with gorgeous photographs and interesting facts about the tortoise and hippo who have become unlikely friends.