The One and Only Ivan

( 121 )

Overview

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango...

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The One and Only Ivan

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More About This Book

Overview

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.

Winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal

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  • The One and Only Ivan
    The One and Only Ivan  

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Inspired by a true story, Applegate (Home of the Brave) offers a haunting tale told from the perspective of Ivan, a silverback gorilla who has been confined to a small “domain” of concrete, metal, and glass for 27 years. Joining Ivan at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade are Stella, an aging elephant, and Bob, a feisty stray dog. While other animals perform, Ivan makes art, watches TV, and offers melancholy assessments of their situation. When Ruby, an inquisitive baby elephant, arrives and Stella dies from neglect, her dying wish is for Ivan to help Ruby escape. The brief chapters read like free-verse poetry, the extra line breaks between paragraphs driving home the contrast between Ivan and humans, who in his opinion, “waste words. They toss them like banana peels and leave them to rot.” As is to be expected, there’s significant anthropomorphism, but Applegate is largely successful in creating a protagonist who can understand humans yet feels like a gorilla. Although Ivan’s role in the events leading to their rescue reads as too human, readers will be left rethinking our relationship to animals. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. (Jan.)
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
Extraordinary.
Shelf Awareness
Discover an animal hero that will take his place with other courageous and beloved animals such as Babe, Mrs. Frisby, Charlotte and Wilbur. Adults reading this aloud with children will find it just as rewarding.
The Horn Book
Important.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Extraordinary.
The Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books

Extraordinary.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
Extraordinary.
Patricia MacLachlan
A beautifully written, intelligent and brave book. You will never look at the relationship of humans and animals in the same way again. Quite simply, this story is life changing.
Children's Literature
"Some animals live privately, unwatched, but that is not my life." Thus begins the self-told story of Ivan, a silver back gorilla on permanent display at the Big Top Mall, off I-95. He "belongs" to Mack, the down-on-his-luck mall owner. He has a few non-gorilla friends: Stella, an aging, ailing elephant and Bob, a stray dog, are his closest. Ivan prefers to call his cage a domain. It contains a pool of dirty water, a tire swing and lots and lots of hard concrete. One wall is painted to look like a tropical forest. From time to time, Mack turns on a TV for Ivan. But that's not all there is to Ivan. He's an artist. Mack gives Ivan crayons and paper, and his framed creations sell for , but Ivan remembers when he got to finger paint with mud. He also remembers the sound of leaves, the taste of tropical fruit and Tag, his sister who died during their capture. The brightest time in Ivan's life is when the night time janitor, George, brings his daughter, Julia, who visits the gorilla. Just as his life seems set forever, a new friend arrives, a baby elephant named Ruby, who inspires Ivan to view his "home" through new eyes. One night, Julia brings finger paints and paper for Ivan, then calls the local news to tell them about this remarkable artistic gorilla. As the public becomes aware of Ivan and his captive friends, a movement to find Ivan a better home grows. Finally Ivan is lured into a large crate and he is moved again, to a zoo. But will Ivan's life be any better? Will he ever see Rudy, Bob or Julia again? This story is based on a true account of a shopping mall gorilla, which was moved to an Atlanta zoo and became a beloved celebrity with his own gorilla friends/family. This tale is, in turn, horrifying and heartwarming. Applegate captures Ivan's voice well: she writes in short paragraphs, and makes Ivan come alive. No young reader who experiences this book will look at a zoo animal the same again. Castelao's illustrations add a winsome charm. Well done! Reviewer: Judy Crowder
Kirkus Reviews
How Ivan confronts his harrowing past yet stays true to his nature exemplifies everything youngsters need to know about courage. Living in a "domain" of glass, metal and cement at the Big Top Mall, Ivan sometimes forgets whether to act like a gorilla or a human--except Ivan does not think much of humans. He describes their behavior as frantic, whereas he is a peaceful artist. Fittingly, Ivan narrates his tale in short, image-rich sentences and acute, sometimes humorous, observations that are all the more heartbreaking for their simple delivery. His sorrow is palpable, but he stoically endures the cruelty of humans until Ruby the baby elephant is abused. In a pivotal scene, Ivan finally admits his domain is a cage, and, rather than let Ruby live and die in grim circumstances, he promises to save her. In order to express his plea in a painting, Ivan must bravely face buried memories of the lush jungle, his family and their brutal murder, which is recounted in a brief, powerful chapter sure to arouse readers' passions. In a compelling ending, the more challenging question Applegate poses is whether or not Ivan will remember what it was like to be a gorilla. Spot art captures poignant moments throughout. Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author's note identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new generation of advocates. (author's note) (Fiction. 8-12)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780061992254
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Publication date: 1/17/2012
  • Pages: 305
  • Sales rank: 117
  • Age range: 8 - 12 Years
  • Product dimensions: 5.84 (w) x 8.52 (h) x 1.14 (d)

Meet the Author

Katherine Applegate’s many books include the Roscoe Riley Rules chapter book series, the picture book The Buffalo Storm, and the award-winning novel Home of the Brave. With her husband, Michael Grant, she wrote the hugely popular series Animorphs, which has sold more than 35 million copies worldwide.

Katherine was inspired to write The One and Only Ivan after reading about the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, the Shopping Mall Gorilla. The real Ivan lived alone in a tiny cage for twenty-seven years at a shopping mall before being moved to Zoo Atlanta after a public outcry. He is now a beloved celebrity at the zoo, which houses the nation’s largest collection of western lowland gorillas. Ivan is well known for his paintings, which he “signs” with a thumb-print.

Katherine lives in California with her husband and two children.

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
( 121 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(108)

4 Star

(5)

3 Star

(3)

2 Star

(2)

1 Star

(3)
See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 121 Customer Reviews

  • Posted Sat Feb 11 00:00:00 EST 2012

    What does a gorilla artist think about?

    This is a wonderful book. It is told from the viewpoint of Ivan, a silverback gorilla who is an artist. The language is beautiful. I read it to my 4th grade class and they LOVED it! The students wanted to learn more about poaching and how zoos work. I would HIGHLY recommend this book. Adults will love it also!

    29 out of 32 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sat May 12 00:00:00 EDT 2012

    A must read for ages 9-90. I don't want to use too many words, y

    A must read for ages 9-90. I don't want to use too many words, you'll understand once you read the book. Get your box of crayons and tissue ready.

    15 out of 17 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Thu Jan 31 00:00:00 EST 2013

    Loved it!

    I bought this for my 4th grader, but started reading it myself to see if it was appropriate before I gave it to her. I found myself literally crying tears of joy upon reading the end of this story. Ivan is more humane than most humans, as Stella is more patient & wise. Bob is a scene-stealer with his painfully insightful comments about us humans. A wonderful story for all ages!

    11 out of 12 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted Tue Jun 26 00:00:00 EDT 2012

    more from this reviewer

    I requested this book for review from LibraryThing because I was

    I requested this book for review from LibraryThing because I was a big fan of the Animorphs series, penned by Applegate as K. A. Applegate, when I was young. I had never read anything other than these books by her before, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I did suspect, however, that I would like it. I was right. I am very glad that my receipt of the novel was only delayed and not cancelled, because it would have been a shame to miss this one. The One and Only Ivan is a wonderfully written, feel-good novel. It is a novel written from the perspective of a gorilla named Ivan. For years, he has been a feature of the Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. He has lived in his domain making quiet observations about the humans that come to stare at him through the glass panes. He doesn’t think about his old life in the jungle. That’s the key to living in his existence — his twin sister couldn’t let the jungle life go, and died as a result. There are no other gorillas at Exit 8. His only friends are an elephant named Stella and a skinny, stray dog named Bob. When a new elephant baby named Ruby is brought in to help salvage the business, Ivan is torn between his seeming inability to make any headway with the humans and fulfilling his promise to secure Ruby a better life.

    If there was ever any doubt that a children’s novel could make an adult tear up, The One and Only Ivan dispenses with this notion. I don’t even like monkeys, and am not particularly fond of gorillas either. But the talent of the author’s storytelling overrides my original biases. Applegate is so wonderful at writing from Ivan’s perspective — taking an outsider’s probable observations of humans and putting them to paper in a way that is simple, yet poignant and often funny, charming, and sometimes alarmingly resonant. The messages of this novel are much like that of a well-crafted Disney movie or something of the like that is widely held to be enjoyable by children and adults alike. The content is simple and whimsical enough for children to enjoy, but the lessons about humans and their differing treatment of animals is serious enough to give adults something to consider when they are done reading.

    I highly recommend this novel. Applegate has proven, once and again, that she is a talented author. Even if you don’t particularly like gorillas, don’t let that stop you. The One and Only Ivan is a novel that transcends the characters; it is a story of humanity and the thoughts and feelings of animals that we are often too quick to ignore.

    This book was obtained freely through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review.

    8 out of 12 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sat Dec 29 00:00:00 EST 2012

    Stella

    My teacher read it to my class and the entire fith grade in willamsburg elementry in the world read it and it was preaty sad

    7 out of 12 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Thu Jan 17 00:00:00 EST 2013

    The one and only Ivan

    Succh a wonderful book!!! :)

    6 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted Sat Feb 09 00:00:00 EST 2013

    Loved, the book and touched me very deeply because I knew the re

    Loved, the book and touched me very deeply because I knew the real Ivan.Here are some details.  Ivan was born in 1962 in Africa and came here at 6 months. In 1994 he finally found a grand home at the zoo in Atlanta. Ivan lived there until last summer where he died at the ripe old age of fifty which is ancient for a gorilla. Most don't live past thirty-five.. Our entire community was deeply saddened by his passing. No one had ever forgotten him; he was special to us. His ashes have been returned to his home here and a memorial with a statue of him will stand in  beautiful local park where he will be remembered for many years to come. As I said, I grew up with Ivan and can fill in his story. He lived a big store called the B&I in Lakewood, WA for twenty-seven years.  Like most of the people who grew up during the Ivan years 1962 - 1994, I remember him vividly. I was a child in the 70's and didn't realize how alize how unfair it was to Ivan to have no other gorillas. I do remember not liking his cage. It had been state of the art in the 1960's but it didn't age well. Although we were ignorant at the time, Ivan was adored by all of us. To the owners of the store who bottle and spoon fed him as an infant, he was part of their family. Really, though, it felt like he was a part of all of us. As a kid, it was a BIG deal to see Ivan and anyone of us from that era have only fondness and love for him. As we aged nd scientific knowledge of gorillas grew,  we knew it was wrong & cruel to keep him behind glass in a concrete enclosure so we were overjoyed when Ivan found a home in the Atlanta zoo. He had a home where he could be outside in fresh air, interact with other gorrilas and be stimulated by his envioronment rather than caged.  There was also a wistfulness for him too. We missed Ivan immensly. Over the years we kept tabs on him, but the internet really gave us the ability to see pictures and his wonderful home. Ivan has a Facebook page where anyone can see him. Go check him out. You will see the tremendous happiness when the page appeared with many comments and memories. You'll also see the heartache at his passing. You will also see this book reference many, many times. We loved him. Go check him out!.    

    5 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Wed Feb 06 00:00:00 EST 2013

    AWESOME BOOK!!!!!

    This book tells about a gorilla stuck in a circus with two elephants. I'm 10 years old, and our librarian read this book to us and we all loved my class was so exited when she read that book to us so, BUY IT NOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sun Feb 03 00:00:00 EST 2013

    Newbery

    My reading class was reading books that might win the newbery. I knew this would win. In your face lions of little rock.

    4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Fri Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 2013

    The one and only ivan

    When i read the one and only ivan it made me cry it was really sad and it was awared the nebary honnor book of 2013

    3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sun Dec 30 00:00:00 EST 2012

    Rosie

    Rented it from the libray. It was so sad and toching. It jad the moral about never giving up on a good dream.mlw.

    3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Wed Mar 27 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    Such a great read!!!

    This book shows how you should always treat animals the same way you would treat humans. I love how its from the point of view from an animal! I highly recommend this book to any body whos loves animals and is looking for a great, quick read. Highly RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted Wed Feb 20 00:00:00 EST 2013

    Love this book! I laughed and cried. This a book that should be

    Love this book! I laughed and cried. This a book that should be on school's reading lists.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted Wed Feb 13 00:00:00 EST 2013

    Finally, a Newbery book that will appeal to the majority of youn

    Finally, a Newbery book that will appeal to the majority of young readers. This is the perfect story for families & teachers to read aloud. Beware: you will be moved to tears of happiness. (Librarianreader)

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Tue Feb 05 00:00:00 EST 2013

    Amazing!

    This book was spectacular, and, so far, the only book ever to quench my unsatiable hunger for new books for two whole days (with the exception of Pride and Prejudice). I cried through nearly the whole book and it was so sweet! The One and Only Ivan is a must-read book for EVERYONE. Personally, I am not an animal-lover and, when I found out this was an animal-centered book, was a bit skeptical, but I love it. It is an amazing read and everyone and anyone should read it. It ought to be on the required reading list of EVERY school in the nation and in the world. New favorite book!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sun Jan 20 00:00:00 EST 2013

    Great book

    This is a rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy gooooooooooooooooood booooooooooook!

    2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Mon Dec 03 00:00:00 EST 2012

    Worlds best book

    Katherine Applegate really hit it on the nose

    2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sat Jul 07 00:00:00 EDT 2012

    Loved

    I loooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeddddddddddd this booooooooooooooooooooooooooooook

    2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sun Apr 21 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    Good book to read .i think you will fall in love with it.

    Good

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Fri Apr 19 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    Awesomness

    Awesome

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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