The
Monarch
Award:
Illinois'
K-3
Children's Choice Award
2008
Master List
Sponsored by
the
Illinois
School Library Media Association
2008 Nominee: Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable FriendshipDetails through text and photographs the special bond shared by Owen, an orphaned hippo, and Mzee, a 130-year-old giant tortoise.
Authors: Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, Dr. Paula Kahumbu
Illustrator: Peter Greste
Book
Activities
- Discussion questions: This story was written by a
young girl with help from her dad and a scientist from Haller Park.
- Language arts:
- Writing: Write about a friend who is much older than you.
What do you like about this person?
- Math: How much does a baby hippo weigh? Full grown?
Compare that to familiar objects. How much does a hippo eat each day?
- Science: Research hippos and giant tortoises. Learn about
the tsunami
- Social Studies: Find Mombasa and Haller Park on a map.
Find the origin of the Tsunami on a globe to show how far the wave
traveled.
- Drama: Pretend to be Owen after the tsunami, when he was
being taken to the nature sanctuary, or when he met Mzee. What was he
thinking.
- Cooking/Food:
- Art: Draw a picture of you and your best friend.
- Music: Visit the Owen and Mzee website for a song about
the friends.
- Movement:
Related Books
Owen and Mzee: The Language of Friendship by Isabella Hatkoff, et. al.
Owen and Mzee: Best Friends by Isabella Hatkoff, et. al. (simpler text version of first book)
Mama : a true story in which a baby hippo loses his mama during the tsunami, but finds a new home, and a new mama by Jeanette Winter
Sunny Boy by Candace Fleming
Koko's Kitten by Francine PattersonTortoise and the Hare by Janet Stevens
Clever Tortoise by Francesca Martin
Hippos by Sally Walker
George and Martha series by James Marshall
Websites
2008 Nominee Resources