What Can the One and Only Ivan Do?
Ivan
is a silverback, but he has lived away from his family for most of his
life. He lives in what he refers to as his
domain, and his domain happens to be a cage at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video
Arcade off of I-95. Ivan’s best friends are Stella, an elderly elephant, and
Bob, a stray dog who shares his domain with him (on the sly). Ivan likes to spend
his time drawing and painting. He has been an artist for as long as he can
remember, but it feels so good to express himself in colors and textures. Some
of his work is available for purchase at the gift shop. The owner of the Big Top
Mall and Video Arcade, Mac, is not happy because people don't seem to be coming
to the shows that take place three times a day, 365 days a year. He doesn't think Ivan is exciting enough. It doesn't help that people aren't as interested
in Stella’s daily shows. Soon a new box arrives and in it is a baby elephant
named Ruby. Ruby has never been confined to such a small space and she has a
million questions for Stella and Ivan. When
Stella gets sick she makes Ivan promise that he will get Ruby out of there so
that she won't have the kind of life that they've had. But Ivan is a gorilla. Is there any way for
him to communicate to anyone else that Ruby doesn't belong there? Is there
anything Ivan can do? Will he be able to
keep his promise? Is life outside of a
cage better than life inside of one? You
won’t want to miss the chance to look at life from Ivan’s point of view.
When
I read The One and Only Ivan by
Katherine Applegate my heart went out to Ivan. As a young gorilla he was taken
from the wild, along with his sister, Tag, and brought in a box to America. Tag
couldn't take being out of the wild, but Ivan decided to forget all about the
wild. Forgetting helped him enjoy TV
shows, yogurt covered raisins, and other human treats. It made me think about how hard it would be
to be separated from my family and put in a totally different environment. I
loved hearing Ivan’s thoughts and his opinions about what the humans were
saying. Stella was so sweet, and I felt sorry for her and the pain she had to go
through in or order to perform. Ruby enchanted me with her questions and
curiosity. I would recommend this book to anyone in fourth grade and up. It is a book about friendship, risks, and
thinking outside the box. This book is
for anybody with a love for animals, art, or both. I look forward to reading more books by this
author.
Has anyone else read The One and Only Ivan? Or have you read another book by Katherine
Applegate? We would love to hear your
thoughts.
Happy Reading! ~L
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sounds like a lovely story, thank you for sharing
ReplyDeleteIt was great, Terence. :) ~L
DeleteI haven't read this yet, but have heard great things about it. I'm not really into stories with animal characters but I may have to try this. Thanks for sharing about it.
ReplyDeleteI had waited a while to read it because I wasn't sure how I would feel about the main character being a gorilla. But, the characters are really well done and their personalities helped me to connect to them. :) ~L
Delete+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteI saw this in the bookstore yesterday and almost bought it. I really wish I had now, because your review is great!
So glad you enjoyed the review Enbrethiliel. :) I hope you get to read it soon. ~L
DeleteSounds like a must read for all animal lovers and such a lovely cover. Judging by the amount of people talking about this on FaceBook I'm sure its going to be a big hit.
ReplyDeleteTracy- This is a book that animal lovers will adore. I agree that this will be a big hit! :) ~L
DeleteThis sounds pretty sad! Hopefully it has a happy ending, but I hate that this happens in real life all too often.
ReplyDeleteMeradeth- It is sad, but hopeful too! :) I hope that the more people hear about these types of things, the less they will happen. ~L
DeleteI have not read it mostly because the cover breaks my heart...even with happy endings I just can not read animal books.
ReplyDeletePatty- I can understand why you haven't picked this one up. There are parts that break your heart, but there are happy and hopeful parts too. :) ~L
DeleteA great review. I love to look at gorillas and other animals at the zoo and wonder what they are thinking about being caged. I suppose most of them don't remember anything different. I love animals of all sorts and this sound like an interesting book that address's the subject.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anna! This book really made me think about what it is like for animals to be caged in. Thanks for stopping by! :) ~L
DeleteGreat review. Sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteNas
Thanks, Nas! It is a great book! :) ~L
DeleteThanks for highlighting this book. I'd love to read it to my grandboys when they're older.
ReplyDeleteCate- Yeah! I hope they enjoy it and learn from it. :) ~L
DeleteHadn't heard of this one before, but I loved the review. I wonder if my little would like it.
ReplyDeleteCrystal- So happy to introduce you to a new book. :) This could be read by a third grader (strong reader) or a parent and their child (still probably third grade and up). ~L
DeleteI haven't read this author, but I believe I have this book or another one of hers. I do want to read it.
ReplyDeleteHi Medeia- If you already have it then I hope you get to read it soon. I have some of this authors other books on my TBR list. :) ~L
DeleteI haven't read this one yet, but I've heard good things about it.
ReplyDeleteKelly- It is great! :) ~L
DeleteThanks for the info! Have a great weekend! :)
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome, Karen. Have a great weekend, too! ~L
DeleteThanks for the review! This looks like such a cute book. I've heard of it before, but I had forgotten about it.
ReplyDeleteCherie- It is really good book. It has made me think. :) ~L
DeleteI loved this book! :D
ReplyDeleteErik- Yeah! Awesome to hear from another reader who also enjoyed The One and Only Ivan. :) ~L
DeleteI bought this book for my reading buddy at the local elementary school. I loved the beautiful language and seeing the world through Ivan's POV, but my buddy was completely bored. After a few sessions, I switched to one of the Wimpy Kids books, which holds the attention of a challenged reader much better. I still need to go back and read the rest of Ivan, but I was charmed by the parts I did read.
ReplyDeleteJocelyn- I can imagine that The One and Only Ivan would be tough for a challenged reader. I am glad you enjoyed it and hope you get to finish it (the audio is great, too). The Diary of a Wimpy Kid is very popular with lots of kids. Thanks for stopping by! ~L
DeleteI have a feeling he expressed his concern for Ruby with his paintings which I just love. I really want to know what happened to Tag. I couldn't bear to be taken away from my family. I would think Ivan would be looking for her. This looks better than I thought.
ReplyDeleteAdriana- It was better than I thought it would be, too! I won't tell you what happened- but you have to read it. :) ~L
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