Fihayya+Plair+(The+One+and+Only+Ivan)

**Book Review:**
The One and Only Ivan By Fihayya Plair



Bibliographical Data:
The One and Only Ivan By Katherine Applegate Illustrated by Patricia Castelao Published by Harper Collins Price: $16.99 ISBN: 9780-06-199225-4 Ages 9-12

Review:
"The One and Only Ivan" is a novel by Katherine Applegate. In this novel, Ivan is a silver-back gorilla who lives in a stationary circus. Ivan is good friends with the other animals in the circus, especially Stella the elephant and Bob, a stray dog. When Stella dies, Ivan makes a promise to save her young friend, Ruby, from a life of captivity. It takes some time, but Ivan and Ruby are eventually moved to a zoo. "The One and Only Ivan" is a book of great courage and hope. Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope. The One and Only Ivan has incredible depth. In a relatively short amount of pages, Katherine Applegate has developed a rich and multi-layered story about Ivan the Mighty Silverback. Applegate takes the reader on Ivan's journey of self-discovery, a journey that leads to his freedom, literally and figuratively. I found this book to be profound in its message, and I encourage teachers to put it in as many young readers' hands as possible.

Summary:
Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all. Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. Before she dies, Stella makes Ivan promise to take care of Ruby and get her out of captivity. This presents a great dilemma for Ivan, because in order to protect and save Ruby, he must confront his own harrowing past that he has long been trying to suppress. But Ivan is a silverback, and he understands he is mighty and noble. He made a promise to Stella that he intends to keep. With the help of Julia, the young daughter of the mall maintenance man, Ivan ends up freeing all the animals and getting them shipped to the zoo, where they are placed with other animals of their own kind. While some may not consider this to be freedom, it was certainly an upgrade from the decrepit mall situation in which they formerly lived.

Analysis of Literary Elements:
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. Castelao's delightful illustrations enhance this lovely story, and the characters will capture readers' hearts and never let go. The themes that cover this story are keeping a promise, courage, hope, and friendship. I would use this story in the classroom for its themes. This is a connect to literature kind of book, because the character traits and the topics are those that children can really relate to and connect with. Also the fact that this fiction story is based on the true story of Ivan the Gorilla, allows the teacher the opprotunity to tell the student's Ivan's really story and have them compare the fiction and nonfiction components.

Author's Bio:
Katherine Alice Applegate (born July 19, 1956) is an American writer, best known as the author of the Animorphs, Remnants, Everworld and other book series. For her recent novel The One and Only Ivan she won the 2013 Newbery Medal. Applegate's most popular books are science fiction, fantasy, and adventure novels. She won the Best New Children's Book Series Award in 1997 in Publishers Weekly. Her book Home of the Brave has won two awards. She has recently written an early chapters series called Roscoe Riley Rules.

Related Links: Ivan the gorilla

**www.zooatlanta.org/**ivan
Yahoo! Video Detail for Zoo Atlanta - Ivan is King