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Mama: A True Story in Which a Baby Hippo Loses His Mama During a Tsunami, But Finds a New Home and a New Mama

There are almost more words in the title than are in the rest of this spare and poignant book. Small pages match the small size of a baby hippopotamus, who is shown swimming, eating, and sleeping with his mother, until they are separated by rising water and a great wave. After a night alone in the water, the hippo reaches shore and is moved by humans to a park-like area. Among the animals inside, he meets a giant tortoise. The text consists solely of conversation bubbles reflecting the variations in emotion as the baby animal first feels “mama” toward his hippo mother, than searches frantically for “MAMA?” in the raging water, and then forlornly wonders “mama?” as he’s transported to his new home. As his situation calms, he again thinks “mama” as he swims, eats, and sleeps by the tortoise, who responds with “baby.” A concluding author’s note describes how a baby hippo swimming in Kenya’s Sabaki River was swept out to sea in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Found on shore the next day by wildlife officials and local fisherman and brought to a park enclosure, he attached himself to a 130-year old male giant tortoise, who acts as a surrogate mother to the displaced baby hippo. ©2006 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Jeanette Winter

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 3-6
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Animals (Informational) Families Grief and Loss Lost and Found Wordless Books
Diversity subject: Black/African

Publisher: Harcourt
Publish Year: 2006
Pages: 32
ISBN: 0152054952

CCBC Location: Picture Book, Winter