The One and Only Ivan: By Katherine Applegate

           The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate was named the winner of the American Library Association’s 2013 Newberry Award for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. This novel tells the story of Ivan, a gorilla, who lives in the “Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade", which is conveniently located off I-95, with shows at two, four, and seven, 365 days a year. Ivan narrates his story of living in his “domain” all alone, and never getting to travel beyond its confines. Since Ivan was never taught any tricks to join in on the daily shows, he never leaves his domain and spends his free time drawing pictures.

            The cast in Ivan’s life includes: Stella the adult elephant, Ruby the newly arrived baby elephant, Bob the stray dog, several other cages animals, Mack the ringmaster, George the janitor and his artist of a daughter, Julia. Julia is the only human in Ivan’s life who seems to really show him she cares, she spends her evenings while her dad is cleaning, sitting outside Ivan’s enclosure talking to him and drawing pictures. She often gives Ivan crayons and paper through the small hole in his domain so that he too can draw pictures. Towards the middle of the book the young elephant, Ruby, joins Stella and the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade crew. Ivan and his motley bunch of friends begin to see the outside world through the eyes of Ruby, who was born in the wild. It is this insight that helps Ivan realize that the domain he always thought was good enough is unacceptable. This encourages him to use his artistic talents to reach the outside world in an effort to save Ruby from the same monotonous ill fate that has befallen him and the other animals. As a rule in children’s literature, Applegate ends Ivan’s story with the animals of the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade finding a new home in a zoo, giving us our “happily ever ending” we hoped to find.

            Because this fantasy is told in first person narrative from the mouth of a gorilla, the sentences are delivered with a short structure, almost mimicking a poetic nature. The use of simple language falls perfectly in line with Ivan’s statement that gorillas waste less words than humans do, because humans toss away words like banana peels, leaving them to rot. Ivan is an endearing character that readers of any age could easily fall in love with. He always gives humans the benefit of the doubt, is incredibly patient, and never complains. These traits, coupled with his strong family-like bond with the other animals, helps us relate to Ivan not merely as a gorilla, but as an almost-human character.
            The One and Only Ivan is also a very cool text for young readers in that it has similar elements to the popular children's story Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White strung within it that could lead to interesting class discussions and comparisons. We can begin to compare characters: Ruby, the newest arrival is Wilbur, who knows a life beyond the farm, but finds herself facing a grim further, Ivan is our Charlotte, he uses his talents to reach outside of the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade to save Ruby, Bob the wandering dog is our Templeton, the only one not stuck within the confines of captivity. The main commonality that the two books share, aside from talking animals with similar character traits, is the idea of the characters of both stories being trapped in captivity and one animal (Ivan & Charlotte) finally realizes the unfortunate future that will befall another character (Ruby & Wilbur) and seeks to reach out to the outside world (through drawing & through words spun in webs) to save their new friend. The activities and conversations that could accompany these texts if studied together are endless and could lead to a very exciting reading/language arts lesson for upper elementary grades. 

            Based off the publisher’s recommendations, The One and Only Ivan is suited for children ages 8-12; however, I think that this book could be enjoyed by this age group, as well as by middle-schoolers and adults. Because Ivan’s lighthearted sweetness it is easy to fall in love with his character, even as an older student or adult. This story would also make an excellent class read aloud as the sentences are structured as to flow smoothly when read both out loud and in your head. I highly recommend The One and Only Ivan as an animal tale for all ages (8+) and as an addition to the library of any upper-elementary or middle school classroom.

Picture Source: http://ritalovestowrite.com/category/fiction/