The One and Only Ivan

Having heard about this novel, I had high expectations for it. What I did not expect was falling in love with it as much as I have. It told the story of a silverback gorilla named Ivan who was in captivity for twenty-seven years. He lived at a mall in a tiny domain with an older elephant named Stella. The story goes on to explain their lives at this mall where people would come and see “The One and Only Ivan” and Stella. Stella could do tricks and stand up on her hind legs. Ivan could draw so his drawings were sold in the gift shop. The elephant Stella began to not feel so well. Her leg became infected. Mack, the owner, realizing that Stella was showing her age went out and bought a new baby elephant named Ruby. She was a tiny, curious thing who constantly asked Ivan questions. Before Stella passed away, she made Ivan promise her that he would save Ruby and get her out of the “cage” that they both lived in. Ivan promised her and devised a plan on how he can get Ruby to a safer place. After much thinking, Ivan decided that he would save Ruby though his artwork. He began to paint multiple sheets of paper with a picture of Ruby in a big open space at the zoo with the letters “H O M E” spelt across the top. Julia, the little girl whose father cleaned their domains, was an artist like Ivan. She figured out that Ivan’s pictures were trying to say something. Julia convinced her dad to post Ivan’s pictures to the billboard to raise awareness of the cruelty going on at their mall and to help Ruby find a safer place to live. Thanks to Julia, crowds began to protest the mall and soon they were shut down. Ruby and Ivan were taken away to the zoo where they both were released slowly into their new homes where other gorillas and elephants were. Ivan had saved Ruby and kept his promise to Stella.

The One and Only Ivan is a John Newbery Award winning book and may I say the novel very much deserved the award. I have so many different ideas of how this book could be used in the classroom. First of all, I think all students would really enjoy this book. It is fairly easy, humorous, sad, and very engaging. Students would really enjoy the perspective this book takes on. It talks through Ivan’s characters- his thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams. The audience becomes extremely attached to Ivan’s character and it is one of those books you cannot put down. As a future teacher, I would want to use this book to talk about points of view and narration. Students could do research on other animals and they can write stories that explain their points of view. I also would want to use this book to explain captivity to the students. In the back of the book, it explains how this is a based off of a true story. The “real” Ivan lives at Zoo Atlanta and paints pictures as well. He signs his pictures with a thumbprint. I would want my students to do research on the real Ivan and see what they can find out about his story. This will be a novel that is in my classroom and I hope that my future students enjoy it as much as I did. 

The One and Only Ivan

Author: Katherine Applegate

Illustrations: Patricia Castelao

Year Published: 2011