THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN by Katherine Applegate

The One and Only Ivan, written by Katherine Applegate, is a beautiful story of the treatment of animals, good and bad.  It is written from Ivan's, the ape, point of view in free verse chapters. Ivan is a silverback gorilla who was captured as a baby gorilla, and he has grown up at the Exit 8 Mall in his domain where his drawings sell in the gift shop.  After over 9,000 days in his domain, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans staring at him.  Ivan has friends that live at the shopping mall with him:  Stella the elephant and Bob the stray dog, who sleeps with Ivan every night.  As a silverback, Ivan knows that he is meant to protect his family, but he has no one to protect.  Until the baby elephant, Ruby, comes to live with them.  Ruby encourages Ivan to remember his life in the jungle before his cage. Ivan begins painting and drawing for Ruby and realizes that he is meant to protect Ruby and must find her a better life.  

Applegate, Katherine. The One and Only Ivan. Illustrated by Patricia Castelao.  

New York: HarperCollins Children's Books, 2012  ISBN 9780061992254

This book, written in first person narrative, is a very emotional read.  The reader will be happy, sad, and angry throughout the book.  The book has a theme of friendship and teaches the reader that with true friends, you can bear anything.  Children will see human kindness and human cruelty through the tales of the gorilla, Ivan.  Children will love Ivan and the other animals as the characters come to life in this book and the descriptions from Ivan. They will cheer the animals on as they fight for a better way of life. 

The author based Ivan, and a few other characters, on a true story of a gorilla in captivity. The real gorilla was also named Ivan and lives at Zoo Atlanta.  Katherine Applegate includes an author's note at the back of the book with a story about the real Ivan.  There is also a website for The One and Only Ivan where you can read about the real Ivan here.

The illustrations throughout the book, by Patricia Castelao, are a pleasant addition to the book, giving children a picture of what a silverback gorilla looks like.  The illustrations show us the different facial expressions and emotions of the animal characters throughout the book.  With the exception of the cover, the illustrations are in black and white.  The cover art is also done by Patricia Castelao and shows the friendship of Ivan and Ruby.

Awards for The One and Only Ivan

School Library Journal Best of Children's Books 2012

Texas Bluebonnet Award 2013-14 Master List

Chicago Public Library Best of the Best 2012

2013 Newberry Medal

Reviews for The One and Only Ivan

"The characters will capture readers' hearts and never let go.  A must-have."  -- School Library Journal

"Beautifully written, intelligent, and brave book... Quite simply, this book is a life-changer" -- Patricia MacLachlan, Newberry Medalist, Sarah Plain and Tall

"The One and Only Ivan will break your heart--and then against all odds, mend it again." -- Gary D. Schmidt, Newberry Honor Author of The Wednesday Wars 

Other Books by Katherine Applegate

The Buffalo Storm (Clarion Books, 2007)

Roscoe Riley Rules, chapter book series (HarperCollins, 2008)

Home of the Brave (Square Fish, 2008)