A little while back, I saw a review on Goodreads for Mama: a True Story (in which a baby hippo loses his mama during a tsunami, but finds a new home and a new mama.)
I read a couple reviews and decided to request the book from the library. I thought maybe the book would be a good segway into talking about adoption with L. My friend Peg saw that I added it on Goodreads and warned me that it was a really sad book that is sometimes used in grief work with children.
Today, I got the book. I was surprised that there are really only three words in the whole thing (Mama, baby and mmm.) I looked over the pictures and decided I would try reading it with L. We worked our way through the story. L isn’t the most verbally expressive kid, but she was clearly drawing connections between the baby hippo and her own story, even though I didn’t mention her adoption at all.
She recognized that the hippo and his mama were scared when they got separated. When the people brought the hippo to the “safe place”, she asked “Are there ayi’s there?” When we learned that the hippo found a new mama (a tortoise), she said “Like you?”
In the last picture, the baby is sleeping happily next to the tortoise, but in the background you can see the shape of the mother hippo, who is smiling. That picture was initially a little confusing for L. She thought the hippo was happy because the hippo mama was there. I had to tell her no, the hippo mama was only there in spirit or in the baby hippo’s imagination. But the mama hippo was smiling because she wants her baby hippo to be safe and loved even if she can’t be there. She is happy that the tortoise is taking care the baby hippo — that the baby hippo has a new mama since she can’t be there. L seemed to be pondering that very seriously.
In just our first go-around with the book, I can see that there are a lot of ways that is a great springboard for talking about loss and adoption. I was initially annoyed that the story wasn’t there in text, but that left it open for us to have a discussion rather than me reading while L passively received the story. I don’t usually recommend products on my blog*, but this book seemed like it might be something other people might appreciate too.
*With the exception of my Magic Light, which I rave about every year in the fall. FYI, it is working fabulously this year too.
I love my Magic Light and I looooooooooved the pictures of the baby hippo with the adorable tortoise, so I’ll keep this book in the back of my mind in case I need it. It sounds like L’s responding well to it.
There is another version of that book that is a written story with beautiful painted illustrations, the boys and I read it last summer, let me think about it and see if I can remember the title.
me again -Mama for Owen, they loved it and they were 6 and 8 at the time
I love it when kids’ books become springboards for conversations like that. If you’d like a version of the story with real pictures (and text) so that L can see what the hippo and tortoise look like, it’s called _Owen and Mzee: The Story of a Remarkable Friendship.
I’m so glad you shared the suggestion of this book. I have been looking for a “springboard” type of book to get conversations started with our youngest and this sounds perfect.
And thanks for making mention of the MAgic Light, too. I bought one last year after reading about it here and I love it! I need to get mine out, too.
I just got our copy. My son is currently primarily and VERY interested in the ‘nami thing (tsunami) and the earthquakes that cause them. He seemed focused enough on it that I called his teachers to give them a heads up.
He did make a comment that I found fascinating: The baby hippo wants its real mommy, not its tortoise mommy. While I am paraphrasing as I can’t recall the specifics, he did use the phrase “real mommy”. I am waiting for the connection between their story and ours to make itself known to him but don’t want to force it.