Saving Fiona by Thane Maynard - ADVISABLE

Saving Fiona: The Story of the World's Most Famous Baby Hippo by Thane Maynard. NONFICTION PICTURE BOOK. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018. $20. 9781328485137.

EL (K-3), EL--ADVISABLE 

Everybody loves hippos and a book about a baby hippo is sure to be a hit. Fiona is a baby hippo that was born prematurely at Cincinnati Zoo in 2017. This picture books tells the story of how Fiona arrived early and the great efforts that were made on her behalf to help her survive. Fiona's story was shared heavily on social media and this is a good summary of the entire story. 

This is a great little picture book telling a true story--and using photographs rather than illustrations! Its a real-life story so the text is a lot longer than you'd find in a normal picture book, but I think it works here. The details of what #TeamFiona did to help her survive is really cool and I think readers of all ages will appreciate this one. It will be a little above the heads of the younger readers, but they can still appreciate the fun pictures of Fiona and her family!

Reviewer: TC