This week Marshmallow writes about Katherine Applegate’s 2012 book The One and Only Ivan, written in 2012 and awarded the Newberry Medal in 2013.
Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about animals and their take on the world around us, then this might be the book for you.
Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Ivan is a gorilla who, by his count, has lived in the Exit 8 Big Top Mall by the Video Arcade for 9,855 days (that is about 27 years). His friends include Stella, Bob, Ruby, Julia, and later Kinyani. Stella is an elephant who has a good memory and tells stories to Ivan. Bob is a stray dog who sneaks into Ivan’s “domain” (which is what he calls his display area) and enjoys sleeping on top of Ivan’s stomach. Julie is a girl whose father, George, works as the mall’s custodian. Ruby is a baby elephant who appears in about the middle of the book. She is “adopted” by Stella, who treats her like her own child. Kinyani shows up later in the book.
Sadly, Stella passes away due to an old injury that causes trouble. Before she passes away, she has Ivan promise to her that he will make sure that he takes her to a zoo, which she thinks is where humans “make amends”. As the book progresses, Ivan starts to change his mind about his “domain” and plans to take Ruby to a zoo.
Marshmallow’s Review: I think that this is a really sweet book because Ivan is a really kind character. His character is unique since he never gets angry. He also really likes to draw. He particularly enjoys drawing banana peels. Though people don’t understand what they are supposed to be, his drawings are sold at a shop.
This is a great book, also because it shows that animals think too. (LIKE BUNNIES!) People seem to forget this when they swat flies or hunt cute animals. (LIKE BUNNIES!) Ivan shows this when he writes about things that happened to him. It is sad, too, because poachers captured him along with his sister, and while they were in a truck, his sister died.
The One And Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate is based on the true story of the western lowland gorilla named Ivan, who lived through similar circumstances. He was captured by humans and brought to live with them. But he grew too big so they moved him to be on display. He spent twenty-seven years there but was finally moved to Zoo Atlanta.
The One And Only Ivan has recently been made into a movie. The Book Bunnies haven’t watched the movie yet, but here is the trailer:
The story, plot, and characters are well written. I really enjoyed reading The One And Only Ivan.
Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.
BookBunnies 
Let me begin by saying that this book demonstrates Marshmallow’s eclectic taste in book subjects. This is a sad story. Humans “adopt” a gorilla because he is cute when small, but then put him in a small enclosure when he outgrows the house. Would it have been preferable if they had arranged for him to be sent back to Africa and given his freedom? But having been raised in captivity, would Ivan have been able to fit in with other gorillas in the wild, or would he have been an outcast?
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Interesting question! It seems the real Ivan had difficulty adjusting to life with other gorillas in the zoo that he was placed in. So probably life in Africa would be tough…
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I wish people wouldn’t try to keep wild animals as pets, specially ones that one knows in advance that they can not keep. It is cruel to lock them up in a confined space/cage because they’ve outgrown the owner’s house. But, the story is nice in that Ivan at least has a few friends to keep him company so he doesn’t get too lonely in his captivity. And eventually, Ivan gets to live in a zoo, where zookeepers can take good care of him.
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