Here are three picture books based on true stories that are difficult to categorize. Since they feature a hippo, an elephant, and an elephant seal, I decided to present them together. I hope you decide to read one or more with your kids or grandkids.

Mama: A True Story in Which a Baby Hippo Loses his Mama During a Tsunami, but Finds a New Home, and a New Mama by Jeanette Winter (Harcourt, 2006)

The subtitle says it all! In fact the only words in the book are “mama” and “baby” in speech bubbles and an author’s note explaining that the hippos were swept out to sea by a tsunami in the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004. It also states that Kenyan wildlife officials took the baby hippo (named Owen) to Haller Park where he latched onto a 130 year old male giant tortoise (Mzee). The colourful illustrations are simple in style. Recommended for ages 2 to 5.

The Elephant from Baghdad by Mary Tavener Holmes & John Harris (illustrated by Jon Cannell) (Two Lions, 2012)

This is the story of Charlemagne’s (748-814) envoys visiting caliph Harun Al-Rashid (c. 763-809) and returning with a white elephant and a giant mechanical clock. It’s narrated by Notker the Stammerer (c. 840-912), a Benedictine monk, who was also a composer, poet, and scholar. The book is illustrated with simple pictures that incorporate photos of artifacts. It ends with a full-page authors’ note about Notker and the clock. Recommended for ages 5 to 8.

Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas by Lynne Cox, illustrated by Brian Floca (Schwartz & Wade Books, 2014)

Elizabeth (named after the queen because of her regal appearance) was an elephant seal who lived happily in the river in Christchurch, New Zealand until she started causing trouble by sunbathing on the road. This picture book with delicate illustrations tells the story of Elizabeth being towed down the river into the ocean from the point of view of a boy named Michael who says hello to her every day and misses her when she’s gone. She came all the way back (twice!) and the book explains what she must have gone through to make it home. The books includes a brief author’s note about her visit to New Zealand and a page of information about southern elephant seals with two suggested websites and a photograph. Recommended for ages 5 to 10.