The One and Only Ivan

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Bibliography:

Applegate, Katherine. 2012. THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN. Ill. by Patricia Castelao. New York: Harper Collins Children’s Books. ISBN 9780061992254

Summary:

An artistic gorilla, The One and Only Ivan, spends his days considering art and TV shows in his domain at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade where people come to see him and his friends.  His dearest friends are Stella the elephant and Bob the stray dog, but even though he has them, his world is still mundane day in and day out.  That is until Ruby, a baby elephant, shows up and changes Ivan’s life forever.  Tirelessly, Ivan embarks on an artistic plan of expression to save Ruby, and in turn saves himself from a life in a lonely cage and a doomed circus show.

Critical Analysis:

Based on a real-life gorilla’s story that Katherine Applegate heard about, she has created a novel in verse told from the first person perspective of Ivan, a gorilla.  Readers are entwined in a first-hand experience of what it is like to live in a cage and be on display for others’ entertainment by Applegate’s use of figurative language.  Her poetry is also written in a conversational manner that makes it feel as if Ivan is talking to you as you read his thoughts and feelings.   Sadness is portrayed for a large portion of the verse in that it seems as though Ivan and his friends are destined to a life in a cage.  Ivan at first calls his home a “domain,” but one day Ruby asks Ivan if she is going to die in her domain like Aunt Stella.  In his response he feels “something tighten in [his] chest, something dark and hot,” and calls their domain for what it really is, a “cage.”  Gut-wrenching is an appropriate description of Katherine Applegate’s novel in verse until hope then happiness is felt in the end when Ivan, Ruby, and Bob are given the humane life that any creature deserves.  Through this portrayal in poetry, Applegate makes the reader contemplate the life and treatment of domesticated animals.  The One and Only Ivan is appropriate for ages 8 and above.

Awards:

2013 Newbery Medal Winner

2013 Christopher Award

Review Excerpts:

“Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author’s note identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new generation of advocates.” – Kirkus Reviews

"Applegate makes a powerful statement about the treatment of animals–especially those living in captivity–and reminds readers that all creatures deserve a safe place to call home. A must-have." – School Library Journal

“Important.” —The Horn Book

Connections:

-Read non-fiction books on such topics as: the circus, caring and/or training circus animals, gorillas, elephants, zoos

-Research: the habitats of gorillas and elephants, circus careers, zoology

-Find and recite/read poetry on topics such as: the circus, gorillas, elephants, zoos

-Create zoo, animal, and/or circus poetry

-Read other works from Katherine Applegate:

            Animorphs series

            Remnants series

            Sharing Sam

            Listen to My Heart

            Home of the Brave

            Eve and Adam