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Winner of the Newbery Medal 2013 Inspired by a true story, this is the beautifully written tale of how a mighty gorilla wins his freedom. A winning blend of humour and poignancy that will appeal to fans of Michael Morpurgo. Ivan is an easy-going gorilla who has spent his life performing for the crowds at the Exit 8 shopping mall. He rarely misses life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly thinks about it at all. But everything changes when a baby elephant called Ruby arrives and Ivan realises he must find a new life for them both. Told from Ivan’s perspective this is a stand-out novel with a pertinent message for readers of 9+.
A tale of humanity and tenderness, from a gorilla’s perspective Parents on the qui vive for deeper stories to share with their children need look no further than Katherine Applegate’s tale, “The One and Only Ivan”, written from the perspective of a Silverback gorilla living in a shopping mall.Too many children are sheltered from animals, left to draw their experiences from animated movies like , and . What’s missing from those stories? Humanity and tenderness; qualities you will find in abundance in this book.Applegate’s story should resonate with animal lovers, too. The gorilla lives a simple, sad life with only a couple friends, including Bob, a stray dog, and Stella, an aging elephant. The years of living behind a glass wall at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade has numbed Ivan to his own misery. He is barely self-aware of his suffering until the arrival of a baby elephant named Ruby arouses emotions long dormant in Ivan.I read the book to my sons as a bedtime story. The first-person narrative hooked them after only a few pages. The chapters are short, which makes it easy to reach a stopping point each night. A word of caution, only the cold-hearted will finish this book without feeling a pang or shedding a tear. My sons’ enthusiasm has me considering , a Pulitzer Prize winning classic, for our next bedtime book.In summary, I’m a bit tired of Harry Potterish fantasy novels. is an emotionally satisfying tale. My advice for parents is to read the story to their children, especially those under age 10.Rating: Five stars.MAY 2013 Update: by Katherine Applegate and Patricia Castelao is the 2013 winner of the John Newbery Medal, awarded annually by the American Library Association (ALA) to the author of the year’s most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.Since my initial review, both of my sons (now ages 10 and 9) have taken this book off their bookshelf for private reading, following my bedtime narration. Ivan’s story resonates with them still.
Wonderful I was hesitant to chose this book thinking an animal book would be too silly or something . . . but Applegate’s Home of the Brave is one of my favorite books ever so I decided to take a chance. And I am SO GLAD I DID. This book was wonderful–heartbreakingly wonderful. I just loved every character–both animal and human. Ivan the artistic gorilla, Stella the stoic mother elephant, Bob the tough on the outside but not so tough on the inside dog, and of course Ruby the baby elephant who just wants to be loved. And the humans: George the sympathetic caretaker and his daughter Julie, a bit like Fern in Charlotte’s web because she can almost understand Ivan–or at least understand his art. Every character was real–even Mack the owner of the menagerie, though we hate what he’s doing, there is more too him than just badness. The situation was just so sad but so well done–the minute I finished the book, I immediately passed it on to my daughter . . . maybe not the best idea to give it to her at bedtime though because I could not get her to turn out her light, she was so immediately drawn into the book. I highly recommend this moving book which teaches compassion towards animals.