It was twelve years ago this December that a small hippopotamus was separated from his mother in a devastating tsunami. But the story of the friendship he then developed with a 130-year-old tortoise still resonates with young readers and listeners.The true story was the inspiration for my picture book A Mama for Owen, as well as books by other authors. I’m so honored to see my title singled out as “the most beloved” of these by the “Read Us a Story” blogger; you can look here to see the blogger’s suggestions for using my book to talk with students about friendship.