One And Only Ivan: Newbery Winner

I remember a lot of excitement around The One and Only Ivan when it was released and later won the Newbery Medal (along with numerous other awards). As a result, it made it on my “to read” list…it just took me a while to get around to it.

From a high level, there’s an element of being “based on a true story” in that there was a real Gorilla on a billboard and in a less than happy zoo-life in an mall. There some opportunities for editorializing as we learn about the hunting and capture of animals and of the treatment of some animals…but mostly this is definitely a fictional account. That said, there are elements that are harshly real and could certainly trouble young readers (even though it is geared towards younger readers).

Part of the hook, as you’ll find early on, is that the book is narrated by Ivan, the gorilla. Ivan is a gorilla who was captured young and has virtually no memory of life outside of captivity. Through Ivan’s eyes we see his understanding of himself and his world increase as he interacts with and observes friends/neighbors (an old elephant named Stella, a stray dog named Bob, a baby elephant named Ruby and the humans outside his enclosure). Ivan has a very unique voice that is sometimes heart wrenching, some times frustrating and often endearing. The author creates a wonderful voice of innocence, simplicity and curiosity.

The main plot felt predictable to me at times but did have a few unexpected twists and turns that made me smile. And even as the plot moved along as I expected it to, I found myself enjoying the journey thanks to the wonderful narrator and the great characters. Even the human zookeeper, who you might think we are supposed to despise, was created in such a way that you feel compassion for him and the struggles he’s going through. Although this story is told from the point of view of the animals, it is a wonderful exploration of emotions, kindness and human nature (or any other creature). Most of the “animal” stories that kids (and adults) interact with these days are slapstick silliness without getting into any depth. Ivan goes more than just skin deep and really stirs your thoughts and emotions.

Sitting at around 300 pages, this could be a daunting read for a young reader and may be something worth reading aloud with them rather than having them read solo (especially because of the tragic elements in the story) but the simple narrative style makes it a fast and easy enough read that most grade-schoolers should be comfortable reading.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and recommended it to my daughter as a reading book for her free reading time in class. The story is filled with humor, loss, growth and learning. All in all, it’s a good read and makes me want to seek out more from Applegate.

****
4 out of 5 stars

Compré este libro para mis hijos (de 10 y 12 años). Yo lo empecé a leer y no lo pude soltar!
Es un cuento hermoso de un Gorila (Ivan) que vive en una jaula en un centro comercial.
Ivan no recuerda su vida fuera de su jaula y desde ahi acepta su alrededor y trata de entender a los humanos. Pero algo pasa y los cambios llegan.

Ivan es el que cuenta el cuento asi que el vocabulario que usa es muy simple pero al mismo tiempo muy profundo. Es un excelente libro para toda la familia.

Never judge a book by its cover – I did. The cover is charming and is the reason I was drawn to it.
I must admit, it took me a little while to get into the book. It is written in an unusual way – very short paragraphs of one or two sentences, which at first felt disjointed. But bear with it.
The story is told from the point of view of Ivan, a silver-back gorilla who is kept in a cage ‘domain’ in a shopping mall. He watches as life passes him by along with his few companions. He has trouble remembering anything much from his past and relies on Stella the elephant to do this. One day a new baby elephant arrives and she begins to change Ivan’s outlook.
This is a charming story, providing an interesting insight of how life might be if you were a captive gorilla. Its a tale of friendship, determination and hope. It as a joy to read and would appeal to older readers who are interested in animals (it is based on some true facts) and protecting them.

The One and Only Ivan presents a great story to read. Author has described every character in great detail and since characters were animals that were kept in a domain, I could feel as if I was in the same domain as Ivan, the hero of our story. Though in most part of the story Ivan was in his confines but if you read the book with interest you can see the story progressing. The story overall looks very plain kind of unexciting but on the other hand since Ivan possesses a completely different view of everything including humans this makes the story interesting. At places the story is somewhat confusing and makes it difficult to understand but on the other places the story is filled with emotions of joy, grief and funny too. The story delivers a great message that no animal deserves to be held captive and also the story ends with the happiest and the most heartwarming ending. I would like to thank Kathrine Applegate for writing such an amazing story.

This story is very heartfelt on building your own loved ones into an often unique family. I bought my 10 yr old granddaughter a copy and she had come up with the idea of reading good books together across the many miles we are apart. So we chat long distance on our reads. It is extra special to me that it was her idea to have our own book club discussing this and other good books. Now on to our next fourth great book.
This book is thoughtful on animals in low level sideshow type captivity and finding a real home with the other animals and the good caregiver and his daughter. We both enjoyed our time with Ivan. Now half the adult family wants to read our next book and discuss. It is also fun to find a new book and send her our next read. It is fun to find top books for age appropriate fun. The other new family members can join us but they get to buy their own copies!