An Animal Tale that makes Kids think

Should animals be kept in cages? Should they be kept in zoos? This book is based on a real "Ivan". It will provide interesting, thoughtful discussion topics for students. ( )

Loved this book! Any animal lover will enjoy it! ( )

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate and illustrated by Patricia Castelao is a Newberry Medal children’s book that will appeal to all ages. We meet a silverback gorilla named Ivan who has lived in a cage in a shopping mall for most of his life. Ivan considers himself and artist and indeed, his crayon pictures are sold for $25.00. He lives with his friends, Stella the Elephant and Bob the dog. While Ivan and Stella are part of the show that the mall puts on three times a day, Bob is a homeless dog who has taken up residency with them.

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla, mostly content with his life but when a young elephant called Ruby is brought into their midst and Stella becomes her protector, Ivan makes a promise to help Ruby get away from the mall and find a better home where she won’t be chained up and has other elephants for company. Ivan eventually comes up with a plan that sees huge changes come about for all the animals.

I absolutely loved this story and Ivan is such a memorable character. The One and Only Ivan is a wonderful book for elementary children and animal lovers of all ages. The story is narrated by Ivan and is in turns funny, sad, loving and uplifting. An absolute children’s classic! ( )

Every year I read this book to my students. They ask to read it, even if they have read it before. Ivan is a gorilla who is part of a road side attraction along with an elephant also there and a stray dog that comes and visits. Ivan is content in his home with his painting and TV until there is a new arrival at the attraction in the form of a baby elephant. With this new arrival, Ivan remembers his life back in the jungle and also see his current life through a whole new set of eyes. It is an extremely touching story that definitely brought tears to my eyes. Great story on friendship and learning to see things from different perspectives. ( )