Customer Reviews

A Mama for Owen

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Some of the children in my preschool class were enamored of the true story of Owen and Mzee, as seen in the books by I. Hatkoff. I was excited to find this artistic version, with beautiful soft illustrations. I browsed the book and thought the text looked appropriate for my 3 and 4 year old children (the Hatkoff books are lengthy). I also liked the underlying suggestion of adoption that some of my children might relate to.

However, the story starts by showing Owen and his real Mama playing and loving together. And then the rains come and flood their African river, and Owen is swept out to sea. THIS IS A TRAUMATIC CONCEPT FOR YOUNG CHILDREN - THE IDEA THAT MAMA CAN BE TAKEN FROM A CHILD FOREVER. The story does not specifically mention real mama's demise, but it does show a frantic Owen in the sea, and real Mama does not come back.

Owen is next shown on a deserted beach, forlorn and alone. While the true story is that he was rescued by humans and transported to a sanctuary, in this version he sees something in the grass that looks like his Mama! He is so happy that he goes to it and snuggles down for a long nap, only to discover it is the tortoise Mzee. I am not sure exactly what the title is supposed to mean - Owen made a FRIEND in Mzee. Mzee does not feed nor care for Owen as a Mama does. The story shows him playing hide and go seek with Mzee, just as he has played it with his real Mama, and sleeping next to Mzee, just like with his real Mama.

I made the mistake of sitting down to read this book to the class without reading the text first. I DO NOT recommend this story in this version for young children, although I give it 3 stars for the beautiful illustrations. The idea of a unique friendhip between tortoise and hippo is warm and fuzzy, the reality of losing mama is understandably upsetting to young children.

(If you happen to be looking for storybooks that hint at adoption, "A Mother for Choco" is a good option. If you're looking for Owen and Mzee, the board books with photographs are a sweet option that highlight their friendship)

As a school librarian,I was very disappointed in this book after reading two other books: Owen & Mzee and Mama. Bauer should not be jumping on the bandwagon to put out a book on this subject without putting in the facts. Owen did not meet Mzee on his own. A crowd of people caught and transported the hippo to Haller Park, an animal sanctuary, where he met the turtle Mzee. (They don't even tell you how to pronounce Mzee (mm-ZAY) in this book. For such a great subject, the book is pretty dull. How it got a starred review, I'll never know.

This is a very sweet book with beautiful pictures. It is one you will read again and again.

As mentioned in other comments, this book has beautiful pictures. While the idea of a Mama being gone is a scary concept for small children, as a foster parent, this book has been a great tool for me to read to the kids who have come into our home through foster care. It is a way to prepare them for the idea that, as much as they love their Mama, they might not ever be able to live with her again. It gives them hope that there are others out there who will love them forever.

I read this with my three year old (non-adopted) son. He seemed to like it well enough, although not as much as I did, but that's because I put more meaning to the story. He is still learning to recognize hippos, but he did recognize the tortoise as a turtle, since we haven't really worked on the difference between the two. We have read this book several times, always by my choice, but he has never rejected this idea. The artwork is soft and lovely. The text is simple and sweet. I really do think this would be a great book to read with children 2-6, especially those who have been adopted.

My 5-year-old (named Owen) absolutely loves this book and so do I. The pictures are stunning and the story is really sweet and comforting for this age group. I agree with the previous poster that all of the details are not necessary for children of this age to read. I believe the story captures the high and low parts of the story beautifully. Owen is scared when he loses his mama in the water. He is lonely when he finds himself in a place where he doesn't know anybody and he is happy and grateful to have found Mzee. We have read all of the books on this subject and even without the mention of humans capturing Owen and bringing him to a park where he met Mzee, this is still hands-down our favorite one.

Marion Dane Bauer's A MAMA FOR OWEN tells of a baby hippo and his mama who are best friends and who love to play hide-and-seek in Africa, before the tsunami washes Owen's world away. The tsunami of 2004 serves as the inspiration for a gentle story of new friendships and changes, with John Butler's lovely realistic paintings spicing the story. Elementary-level readers will love it.

I read this story at the bookstore with my 7-year-old daughter and she loved it! It is a heart-warming story with beautiful illustrations of love and family. It sends a great message that loving families can come in different shapes and sizes, which my daughter got and appreciated right away. If the last reviewer will take a look at the back of the book, they will find that this book is "based" off a true story; a true story that is summarized for the reader as well in that location. I don't think the author needs to enter ALL the facts, because it's a STORY. Enjoy! :-)

This is a beautiful book! The pictures are wonderful and the story is touching. I purchased it for a friend whose sons name is Owen. She loved the book also.

The book was in great condition and is a touching story. I will buy from this seller again!