Hatkoff, Craig 1954-

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Hatkoff, Craig 1954-

Personal

Born March 19, 1954; married Jane Rosenthal; children: Juliana Lee, Isabella. Education: Columbia University, M.B.A, 1978.

Addresses

Home—New York, NY.

Career

Investor, entrepreneur, and author. Victor Capital Group, New York, NY, founder and managing partner, 1989-97; Capital Trust, Inc., New York, NY, vice chairman, 1997-2000, member of board of directors, 1997—; Tribeca Film Festival, New York, NY, cofounder with wife, Jane Rosenthal, and Robert De Niro, 2001—; New York City School Construction Authority, New York, NY, trustee, 2002-05; Taubman Centers, Bloomfield Hills, MI, director, 2004—; Turtle Pond Publications, New York, NY, chairperson.

Writings

(With daughter, Juliana Lee Hatkoff) Good-bye Tonsils!, illustrated by Marilyn Mets, Viking (New York, NY) 2001.

(With daughter, Isabella Hatkoff, and Paula Kahumbu) Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship (originally published as an e-book), illustrated with photographs by Peter Greste, Scholastic (New York, NY) 2006.

(With Isabella Hatkoff and Paula Kahumbu) Owen and Mzee: The Language of Friendship, illustrated with photographs by Peter Greste, Scholastic (New York, NY) 2007.

(With Isabella Hatkoff and Paula Kahumbu) Owen and Mzee: Best Friends, illustrated with photographs by Peter Greste, Scholastic (New York, NY) 2007.

(With Isabella Hatkoff and Paula Kahumbu) Owen and Mzee: A Day Together, illustrated with photographs by Peter Greste, Scholastic (New York, NY) 2008.

(With daughters Isabella and Juliana Hatkoff, and Dr. Gerald R. Uhlich) Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World, Scholastic (New York, NY) 2008.

Also author, with Juliana Hatkoff, of Ladder 35 Engine 40, eBookMall.

Sidelights

Craig Hatkoff, an investment manager who lives in New York City, has written several children's books with his daughters Isabella and Juliana Hatkoff. Hatkoff is also recognized for his contributions to the Tribeca Film Festival, which he cofounded with his wife, Jane Rosenthal, and celebrated actor Robert De Niro. The festival, which originated in 2001 following the attacks on the World Trade Center, has attracted over two million attendees since its inception and has helped to revitalize Manhattan.

Hatkoff's first book for young readers, Good-bye Tonsils!, is based on a journal he began with the then-five-year-old Juliana to help her prepare for her first operation, a tonsillectomy. The story focuses on a girl who learns that her sore throats can be cured by a surgical procedure, and it follows her experiences at the doctor's office and the hospital. "The authors include all the necessary information regarding a tonsillectomy in a comforting yet straightforward story," noted Meghan R. Malone in School Library Journal. Amy Brandt, writing in Booklist, observed that the "age-appropriate explanations will reassure children readying themselves for surgery."

Hatkoff later collaborated with Isabella on Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship, which describes the unlikely bond between an orphaned hippo and a 130-year-old tortoise. Following a devastating tsunami in December 2004, a 600-pound baby hippo became separated from its mother and found itself stranded on a coral reef. After being rescued, the hippo, which was given the name Owen, arrived at the Haller Park Animal Sanctuary in Kenya and quickly looked to an Aldabra tortoise named Mzee for protection. The pair soon began eating, swimming, and playing together. "We knew there was something very special about this story," Hatkoff stated in a Playthings interview with Karyn M. Peterson. "Owen and Mzee give testament to the power of friendship. Their true story that borders on the unbelievable teaches us many beautiful lessons on many levels, including friendship, conservation and tolerance."

Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship was completed with the help of Paula Kahumbu, the director of the nature preserve, and photojournalist Peter Greste. "This touching story of the power of a surprising friendship to mitigate the experience of loss is full of heart and hope," Wendy Lukehart commented in School Library Journal. According to New York Times Book Review contributor Sarah Ellis, "the heart of the book is the gracefully told tale of Owen's abandonment, rescue and remarkable new family."

In a follow-up, Owen and Mzee: The Language of Friendship, the Hatkoffs continue the story of the animal pair, noting that they have developed a system of rumbling sounds to communicate. They also question whether Owen will pose a danger to Mzee once he reaches his adult size. "The text is clearly written and accompanied by numerous high-quality, full-color photos," wrote Grace Oliff in School Library Journal, and a Kirkus Reviews critic stated that young readers will "be mesmerized, mystified and charmed."

Hatkoff, his two daughters, and Dr. Gerald R. Uhlich, a board member of Zoo Berlin, joined forces for Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World. The work recounts the efforts of zookeeper Thomas Dorflein to nurture a baby polar bear whose mother rejected him. The heartwarming story captured the attention of

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people from around the world. "The informative narrative flows easily," a reviewer in Publishers Weekly remarked.

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, August, 2001, Amy Brandt, review of Good-bye Tonsils!, p. 2130; May 15, 2006, Jennifer Mattson, review of Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship, p. 48.

Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2006, review of Owen and Mzee: The Language of Friendship, p. 1269.

New York Times Book Review, May 14, 2006, Sarah Ellis, "Can't We All Just Get Along?," review of Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship, p. 18.

Publishers Weekly, February 13, 2006, review of Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship, p. 89; November 13, 2006, review of Owen and Mzee: The Language of Friendship, p. 56; October 8, 2007, review of Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World, p. 52.

School Library Journal, August, 2001, Meghan R. Malone, review of Good-bye Tonsils!, p. 147; May, 2006, Wendy Lukehart, review of Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship, p. 111; February, 2007, Grace Oliff, review of Owen and Mzee: The Language of Friendship, p. 108.