MAMA

February 13, 2006
This visually poetic book's subtitle is longer than its entire text: "A true story in which a baby hippo loses his Mama during a tsunami, but finds a new home, and a new Mama." Using only two words, "Mama" and "Baby," Winter (The Librarian of Basra
) reveals the true plight of a baby hippo rescued after the December 2004 tsunami struck the coast of Kenya (the facts appear in an endnote). A series of acrylic paintings with a thick golden border depict the young hippo calling, "Mama," as he swims alongside his parent in calm waters, nibbles on grass and cuddles next to her under the stars. But soon the frame turns to a violet blue that echoes the color of a tumultuous wave, which soon overtakes the spreads. Parent and child become separated; the mother calls, "Baby?", her offspring cries, "Mama?" each facing away from the other. Subsequent pages reveal the young hippo making it to shore and ultimately to his new home in an animal sanctuary. There he spies a giant tortoise and, apparently recognizes a kindred spirit, exclaims, "Mama!!!
" The two bond and a concluding image shows them snuggled up together under a starry sky, as an apparition of a smiling mother hippo looks on. Giving this account a more emotional interpretation than does Owen & Mzee
(reviewed below), Winter reassuringly portrays how friendship can ease a devastating loss. All ages.

May 1, 2006
Pre-Gr 3 -Winter used true stories to address difficult topics in "September Roses" (Farrar, 2004) and "The Librarian of Basra" (Harcourt, 2005). Here, she tackles the tsunami in a narrative consisting of two repeated words: -mama - and -baby. - A hippo and his mother are shown enjoying a swim when gigantic waves pull them apart. They call out plaintively for one another, until the baby is alone in the deep waters of a full spread. After washing ashore, he is taken to a refuge, where he bonds with a 130-year-old tortoise (according to the endnote); the dialogue bubble reads -mama. - Winter -s signature acrylics turn from choppy, deep blues to placid turquoise, and the ratio of sky to water returns to a normal balance. It is hard to predict how the book will affect youngsters who are anxious about water or separation. The pitching of the topic to a preschool audience without more explanation is questionable. Not only will the design lead to dismay as adults discern, too late, what the book is really about, but the lack of narrative makes the situation seem typical rather than unique and results in oversimplification of a complex relationship. Explore this subject instead through Isabella and Craig Hatkoff and Paula Kahumbu -s sensitively structured "Owen & Mzee" (Scholastic, 2006), see p. 111." -Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2006
K-Gr. 2. Like " The Librarian of Basra "(2005), Winter's newest picture book presents a true story drawn from troubling world events--with equally mixed results. The text consists almost entirely of the word " mama, "murmured in contentment by a baby hippo in the idyllic opening spreads, then wailed in terror as the baby and its mother become separated during a tsunami. When the baby is delivered to a wildlife preserve, it adopts a giant tortoise as its surrogate parent; an endnote explains that a similar episode occurred during the 2004 Indonesian tsunami. Though Winter's winsome animals and thickly applied jewel tones will attract youngsters, the depictions of the separation are stark, showing the hippos swamped by the obliterating wave and crying out in desperation: "Baby?!" "Mama!" The suggestion that mothers can easily be replaced--particularly troubling in a sequence showing the baby greeting the tortoise as "Mama!" the moment they meet--will likewise strike many children amiss, despite a poignant closing image indicating that the hippo's bond with its true mama will never reallybe severed. This will succeed best when shared by an adult who knows both book and child well. It may be of even keener interest, though, to illustration students, who will admire Winter's bold narrative choices and emulate her sure design sense, even as the question of audience engenders heated debate.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)