The One and Only Ivan

Sometimes books take me by surprise--and The One and Only Ivan by K. A. (Katherine) Applegate is one of them. The illustration on the cover made me think it would be for a much younger audience. I was wrong.

Ivan, a silverback gorilla who lives in a “habitat” at a roadside mall, has no one to talk to. No one, that is, except Stella, an elderly elephant not healthy enough for the circus, and Bob, a homeless-by-choice stray dog. Ivan’s life is a portrait of restraint, as he works to stay in the moment and not remember his previous life. A promise to a dear friend, along with the arrival of a new baby elephant named Ruby, changes everything in this story inspired by a true story. Minimal but haunting illustrations by Patricia Castelao reveal a tender look at Ivan’s world.

Katherine Applegate (who also, with her husband, wrote Animorphs) somehow manages the impossible--to capture the speech patterns and inflection of a silverback gorilla raised in captivity. From the first page, you will recognize Ivan’s quiet strength, long before he recognizes it himself. Inspired by a National Geographic video, “Urban Gorilla,” the author takes a story of perhaps unintended cruelty, and makes the victim the hero. You will laugh and cry, then finally cheer for Ivan, the one and only silverback gorilla.

Check out the book's official website! http://theoneandonlyivan.com/

Applegate, K. (2012). The one and only Ivan (P. Castelao, Illustrator). New York, NY: Harper.