LS5603 - Poetry2: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Applegate, Katherine. The One and Only Ivan. Illus. by Patricia Castelao. HarperCollins Publishers: New York, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-06-I99225-4

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

[Excerpt from the book]

names

People call me the Freeway Gorilla. The Ape at Exit 8.
The One and Only Ivan, Mighty Silverback.

 

The names are mine, but they’re not me. I am Ivan, only Ivan.

 

Human waste words. They toss them like banana peels and leave them to rot.

 

Everyone knows that the peels are the best part.

 

I suppose you think gorillas can’t understand you. Of course, you also probably think we can’t walk upright.

 

Try knuckle walking for an hour. You tell me: Which way is more fun?

[/end]

 

Ivan, a silverback gorilla, has lived in the Big Top Mall for almost his entire life—9,855 days (about 27 years) from what he can tell. He lives in a cage, next to Stella the elephant, who is good at stories and has a leg injury from when she worked in the circus. He also has a friend in Bob, the stray dog, who sleeps on his stomach at night. Stuck in a cage all day, Ivan occasionally paints using markers and finger paints given to him by Mack, the owner of the Big Top Mall and of Ivan.

Worried about declining numbers in customers, Mack buys a new baby elephant to bring new life into the circus, Ruby. Stella becomes sick from her leg injury and makes Ivan promise her that he will take care of Ruby. Soon after, Ivan decides that the best way to take care of Ruby would be to get her out of the mall and her small cage and into the zoo. But how is a gorilla in a cage, even a silverback one, supposed to accomplish that?

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Ivan was a real gorilla who lived in a mall for 27 years, but the story itself is fictional, as the events and characters in it were not part of the real story. The whole story is written in prose poetry from Ivan’s first person perspective.

Although Ivan never says he is unhappy with his captivity, the whole book carries a strong melancholy tone at best, often with tinges of despair that only get stronger when Ruby is introduced. Ivan never comes out and says such things; gorillas aren’t prone to sulking, but Applegate’s flawless word choice creates a strong sense of sadness in the reader for his plight. For instance, Ivan is careful to always call where he lives his “domain” and corrects Stella every time she calls it a cage. The simple sentences in the prose poetry conveys Ivan’s personality and desires, and causes the reader to root for him through his struggles.

The One and Only Ivan has received many awards, including:

·         2013 Newbery Medal

·         2012 School Library Journal Best of Children’s Books

·         2012 Kirkus Reviews Best of Children’s Books

·         2013-14 Texas Bluebonnet Award

4.     REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

FROM KIRKUS REVIEWS: How Ivan confronts his harrowing past yet stays true to his nature exemplifies everything youngsters need to know about courage.

FROM SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “The characters will capture readers’ hearts and never let go.  A must-have.

5.     CONNECTIONS

Other books by Katherine Applegate

• Home of the Brave,  IBSN 0312535636
• Love Sucks and Then You Die with Michael Grant, ASIN B00EMT2FI0
• Eve and Adam with Michael Grant, ISBN 1250034191
• Animorphs series

Other YA books from animal points of view:

• Shakespeare’s Dog: A Novel by Leon Rooke, ISBN 0880010932
• Timbuktu: A Novel by Paul Auster, ISBN 0312428944
• Watership Down by Richard Adams, ISBN 0743277708
• Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, ISBN 0486407888
• Call of the Wild by Jack London, ISBN 1493663437