The One and Only Ivan
Ratings86
Average rating4.3
The One and Only Ivan focuses in on a gorilla named Ivan who lives in a strip mall zoo. He doesn't think his life is so bad; he has his friends and he gets to create art for the people who visit the zoo. It is only when Ruby, a young elephant, joins him at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade that Ivan begins to question everything he once thought about his home. Told in short diary-like entries, The One and Only Ivan will pull at your heart strings and at times rip it completely out of your chest, but also fill you up with such happy, hopeful fluttering feelings. It is a fantastic, wonderful read. I cannot recommend it enough.
The only problem I had with this book was that it was hard to read aloud to the kiddos when I was tearing up on every other page. Such a great story - such beautiful characters. Perfection.
Sophia rating - 4/5
David rating - 5/5
Mommy rating - 5/5
I really like this author. This story was for a slightly younger child, but my eleven-year-old grandson and I enjoyed it very much.
An easy read from the perspective of Ivan the gorilla. It was hard to read some of what the animals had gone through before arriving at the mall and while staying there. I love how Ivan saved the day and helped everyone to see that the animals would be better off at a zoo! Bob the stray dog getting a happy ending too was great!
I decided to read this book because my daughter was reading it for school. She's a third grader, and this is the first time that I'm aware of that she's read a novel at school. I was excited!
This is a truly wonderful book. It's often quite sad, but the best books, the ones that really touch you, usually are. It really feels like it's written from the perspective of the gorilla. If I thought that gorillas could actually talk and write, I would believe that this was the gorilla's actual journal. I found myself briefly wondering how the author learned this story from the gorilla before I reminded myself that gorillas can't actually talk, and this gorilla's internal dialogue is a fantasy.
It's also written in such a way that it seems outside of time. The story is probably intended to have taken place in the recent past, but it never hints at a time period and feels very timeless.
I saw quotes saying that this book was a great animal book in the tradition of Charlotte's Web. It exceeded expectations.
If you read this I do rec the audiobook, it was well read.
Based on a true story of a mall gorilla and really got me thinking about the terrible treatment of animals and hopes for better treatment as we go forward.
The One and Only Ivan is a wonderful story that takes place on a farm called the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. On this farm, animals of different species are able to communicate with one another, though they can't talk to humans. One of these animals is Charlotte, an old elephant full of considerable wisdom. And there is Ruby, a curious pig who seeks companionship from the other animals, but is quickly dismissed by all but Charlotte. Charlotte takes Ruby into her care. When the other animals realize that Ruby is being raised for the slaughter, they rally to save her. Eventually, Charlotte reaches the end of her life, so she magically transfers all her wisdom to a silverback gorilla named Ivan. Ivan is very talented: he can spin a web that spans the globe as though he were a giant spider. Despite being an ape who talks with geese, bears, and sheep, Ivan cannot speak to the humans, so he uses the worldwide web to express his concern for Ruby. ‘TERRIFIC,' he writes in one. ‘HOME PIG,' he writes in another... I'll stop there to avoid spoiling the story.
In addition to the main characters, there's a dog named Templeton who obsesses over eating... or was it sleeping? He's there mostly to give a few chuckles to a mostly sad story. Also, there's a little girl named Julia... or was it Fern? And there are some sheep and a parrot that are mostly in the background, providing a little dialogue or comedy when needed... though it may have been a sun bear and a goose... I get confused.
The One and Only Ivan is a wholly original story unlike any other. I liked it.
Very touching! I would have loved this as a kid and thoroughly enjoyed it as an adult.
I loved the way the story is written. Ivan has such a simplistic way of thinking that makes the story even better because it wasn't trying to be convoluted but rather facts that Ivan knows to be true.
There's definitely a minimalist beauty to this simple story about Ivan and his friends.
It's a quick read, though it's fully satisfying and powerful. I enjoyed it quite a lot.
I'm very glad my teaching partner threw this at me and yelled at me to read it because otherwise it might have taken me ages to get down the list. One and Only Ivan is the Newberry winner this year, and while I used to be very good about reading those right away, I used to have a lot shorter list of things to read.
One and Only Ivan is an impressive piece of children's literature, primarily for the way it treats its audience. The book is incredibly accessible to children without in any way demeaning them as readers. it cuts no corners with language or emotion, and made me weepy multiple times. Emotional animal lovers, beware this book. You will sob uncontrollably. The story is clearly set some time ago, but the situations of Stella and Ivan's are situations I witnessed first-hand at “zoos” abroad, and the ethics about captive animals discussed are still incredibly relevant today.
Ivan's voice as he narrates is so easy to read along with. He maintains such a steady, calm tone in the face of events that seem perfectly plausible for any gorilla forced into a routine for 27 years. Being a gorilla, is language is never too difficult for your average 3rd grader, but it carries the weight and gravity of a simply majestic animal.
One of the main problems I usually have with children's novels, especially Newberry winners, is the weepy factor. So many books are aimed at children with the idea that all kids need is ways to cope with tragedy. Books like Bridge to Teribithia or Walk Two Moons are fine if you need them, but in my experience kids really aren't crying out for tear jerkers. Literature seems to be only serious if it makes you EMOTE with waterfalls. This book, while it does make the reader tear up, never does so in a pandering way. While it's pretty clear that we'll be dealing with death at some point in the story (it did win a Newberry), the novel has plenty of other themes to tackle.
My favorite part, though, is undoubtedly the ending. Ivan is very human through most of the book, a reflection of his human upbringing, but in the end we start to see him adjust to being a gorilla again. The ending struck me with its realism. This is no Free Willy where you watch the whale swim off into the ocean to inevitably starve to death. This is the best Ivan can hope for: a nicer cage where he can be a gorilla. I enjoy that his reactions to new things remain gorilla reactions, even as he understands human speech. Everything Ivan does in the entire novel is a gorilla move filtered through human language. This is the author's greatest accomplishment, in my opinion.
The book looks intimidating, but the chapters are often just a few widely spaced sentences. I read it during the odd five minutes I'd have when I didn't feel like starting new projects at school. The short chapters would make it an ideal read-aloud too. Highly recommended to anyone who loves animals or needs good children's literature.
Elegantly emotional and beautifully written. I teared up at the end. Though written for a younger audience, I think my Battle kids will really enjoy this next year.
What do you do if you are a gorilla and you live in a cramped cage at a mall? Ivan the gorilla has befriended a couple of elephants and taken up drawing. And this is Ivan's story. It's a story I can almost guarantee that you will love. I also anticipate a few tears.
I really enjoyed this enchanting story about Ivan. As an adult, I always read to my kids at night and this is definitely one of my favourites so far.
Hi do you like crying about animal friendships? If yes, may I recommend The One and Only Ivan?