The One & Only Ivan
by Patricia Castelao
Middle-Grade, Fiction, Animals, Young-Adult, Fantasy, Juvenile
Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all. Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better. Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.
Recommendations from Common Sense Media
Age Recommendation: 8+
What Parents Need to Know:
Parents need to know that 2013 Newbery Medal winner The One and Only Ivan, by Animorphs co-author Katherine Applegate, was inspired by the true story of a gorilla who, after more than a quarter century of captivity in a tourist trap, now lives happily in a fine habitat at Zoo Atlanta and is renowned for his art. In Applegate’s tale, he’s acquired a few fictional friends, and the story has picked up some plot embellishments driven by the arrival of an innocent baby elephant. One thing both the true and fictional Ivan share is that he and his twin sister were captured as infants in Africa, and his twin died in transit. Over the course of their lives, Ivan and his friends encounter many examples of both the best and the worst the human race has to offer, and some kids may be ill-prepared for the cruelty.
Educational Value: 4/5
Kids will learn quite a bit about the habits of lowland gorillas in their native Africa. Through the experiences of the animal characters in The One and Only Ivan, they’ll also become acquainted with a number of animal-welfare issues.
Positive Messages: 4/5
The loyalty among Ivan and his friends comes through in many ways, even when things are at their direst. And Ivan’s promise to adult elephant Stella that he’ll save baby elephant Ruby and get her to a better place than the circus mall (even though he has no idea how he’s going to do it) and the efforts he makes to keep his promise are evidence of his emerging noble character.
Positive Role Models: 5/5
Ivan develops and matures into a noble gorilla (as well as an inspired artist) as the tale progresses. Stella is a veritable saint among elephants, with much motherly wisdom to offer. The kid Julia, who supplies Ivan first with crayons and then finger paint, sets him off on his artistic career and offers him friendship, while her father struggles to do the right thing under virtually impossible conditions. The baby elephant Ruby has had enough experience of life to point out that humans can be saviors as well as abusers.
Violence & Scariness: 3/5
Both Ivan’s and Ruby’s families have been killed in the process of the babies’ capture, and while there isn’t a detailed description of the gore, they’re both traumatized by the experience (though Ivan has initially blocked out the memory). Ivan isn’t currently treated with violence, but one animal dies for lack of veterinary care, and Ruby is threatened with a skin-tearing elephant hook to make her do tricks. Bob is the only survivor of a litter of puppies dumped on the freeway.
Language: n/a
Applegate uses the term “me-balls” for the balls of excrement that Ivan throws at tourists on the other side of the glass wall who annoy him.
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