Reading Rams Summer I, 2014 discussion
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
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Jenna
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Jun 02, 2014 07:29PM
This book really did it's best to tug at your heart strings! Anyone else not planning a circus trip for awhile? Applegate did a fantastic job of giving these animals a voice and a raw and realistic perspective on their captive lives. I felt the book moved a little slowly in the beginning but enjoyed the progression and ultimate ending (but poor Stella!). I was intrigued to find out there was some truth embedded in the novel and find out a little about the real Ivan.
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This book is a great way to bring up discussions about animal rights, treatment of animals, respect of animals and humans, as well as opening up the door to fantastic writing prompts. I see "A Day in the Life of my Dog, Junie" as a possible student's title :)
The One and Only Ivan is a splendidly written novel. I loved everything about it, from the concept behind the story to the way in which the author writes the story. I found it interesting how the author placed the words on each page; it almost appeared to have the format of a poem. This is another great example of how the voice can influence the message of the story. This novel is exquisitely written and so touching. The relationship between Ruby and Ivan is heartwarming to watch unfold through the course of the story. The characters are easy to love and I was quickly drawn into caring about their well-being and their future.The author grasped my curiosity with the first page, “I am Ivan. I am a gorilla. It’s not as easy as it looks.” So simple, yet so powerful! I was utterly intrigued by the format of this novel. It appeared to be a relatively lengthy book, and I was slightly concerned that it would take me a while to get through it. I was pleasantly surprised to see that each page had few words. As I continued to read the story, I realized the author formatted the novel as an homage to the character of Ivan. I felt like I was getting a glimpse into Ivan’s personal thought. My favorite page in the book was the page entitled “outside at last”. It contains twelve one-word sentences describing what he is seeing for the first time. I could feel how overwhelmed he was and how excited by the last three sentences, “Mine. Mine. Mine.” This is a brilliantly executed story.
I purchased the collector’s edition of the novel which included a letter from the author. In this letter the author explains that though The One and Only Ivan is a work of fiction, it is based in truth. In 1993, she read an article about a gorilla living in a circus-themed mall in Washington State. She wanted to tell Ivan’s story because the image of young Ivan being ripped from his home and transported to America to live in a tiny cage in a mall haunted her. The collector’s edition also includes a letter from the zookeeper who took care of Ivan in his final eighteen years living at a zoo in Atlanta. I thoroughly relished the opportunity to read this beautiful letter from someone who had such an remarkable bond with this magnificent animal. It made the novel even more enjoyable knowing that it had its basis in fact.
Jenna wrote: "This book really did it's best to tug at your heart strings! Anyone else not planning a circus trip for awhile? Applegate did a fantastic job of giving these animals a voice and a raw and realistic..."I agree that this novel did truly tug at my heart strings. I think what I loved the most was discovering that the character of Ivan was based on an actual gorilla in the Atlanta zoo. I have never been a big circus fan anyway, but between this novel and Water for Elephants I have no interest in ever seeing one.
Cynthia wrote: "The One and Only Ivan is a splendidly written novel. I loved everything about it, from the concept behind the story to the way in which the author writes the story. I found it interesting how the..."Oh wow! I want to see the collector's edition. Mine copy had a little writ up about the real Ivan but nothing extremely detailed. The story became more powerful after I read that.
I loved how this book was written. I love to read books with small chapters like this as a read aloud. I don't know why but it seems to flow better. It also allows me to do a quick read aloud with my students when we don't have much time. The way this book was written was not the only thing I loved about it. I loved reading Ivan's story and I was hooked from the beginning. As humans, I think we often forget how these animals might feel in captivity. I know I am guilty of this. I instantly fell in love with the characters. I couldn't put the book down because I wanted to know what would happen to them. I think "The One and Only Ivan" does a splendid job of depicting the life of animals in captivity. It makes the reader see from a different viewpoint that they might not have thought about before. I thought it was interesting that the animals were at a mall. I have never heard of circus animals being at the mall. I believe that this book would create great discussions in the classroom. There are also many activities that can from this book. Older students could research animal rights and produce projects about these rights.
Jenna wrote: "This book really did it's best to tug at your heart strings! Anyone else not planning a circus trip for awhile? Applegate did a fantastic job of giving these animals a voice and a raw and realistic..."I agree! This book had me second guessing trips to the circus. I have never really been a big circus fan but now I don't think I'll ever go to one. I also found it interesting that there was some truth behind this book.
Cynthia wrote: "The One and Only Ivan is a splendidly written novel. I loved everything about it, from the concept behind the story to the way in which the author writes the story. I found it interesting how the..."That's neat that your book had all that extra information! It's neat to know that this story is based off of an actual gorilla. I think students would also find that interesting.
I agree, Rochelle. The small "chapters" that this book was broken up into made will seem so much more manageable to students. Especially those who cringe at the sight of a book over 100 pages.
Rochelle wrote: "I loved how this book was written. I love to read books with small chapters like this as a read aloud. I don't know why but it seems to flow better. It also allows me to do a quick read aloud with ..."I think the small chapters and the format in which it is written will really appeal to struggling readers in upper elementary and middle school. I loved your idea of having the students do research about animal rights and producing products. You never know how a child will respond to a story like this, and the product they create could ultimately change things, not only for the students, but possibly for the larger community.
I really enjoyed reading this book! I generally like reading books with animals as characters. There were several times I had a tear in my eye. I liked that Ivan told the story from his point of view. He does not remember much of his life before being brought to the United States. But with the arrival of Ruby, he starts to remember things when he is telling her stories. It is sad to think about how animals are taken into captivity. The animals are not always treated well. Stella is an example. The experience she described includes long days of working, doing tricks that are not necessarily natural. Do circus animals like what they do? The chain she wore on her foot caused a long time injury, which eventually led to her death. I think that is like a person who works at a job just so he/she can earn a living. Not that the person is enjoying each day, but a drudgery. Eventually, it catches up with you and life has passed you by. Bob was a cute character. What a pair, a gorilla and a tiny dog, such a contrast. Unfortunately, his story is all too common - unwanted litter, thrown away. I do like how the book is written. It was a quick read because of the chapters being short. I think students would like this book. I think I could have my middle school science students read this. The discussion of captive vs. living in the wild would be interesting.
Rochelle wrote: "I loved how this book was written. I love to read books with small chapters like this as a read aloud. I don't know why but it seems to flow better. It also allows me to do a quick read aloud with ..."I agree about reading from the point of view of a captive animal. Do people really think about how it affects an animal to be snatched from their ecosystem and transplanted into a man-made structure. I would like to use this with my classes to discuss animals in captivity.
Jenna wrote: "This book really did it's best to tug at your heart strings! Anyone else not planning a circus trip for awhile? Applegate did a fantastic job of giving these animals a voice and a raw and realistic..."I don't go to the circus any more because of what I have read about the treatment of the animals. It is touching that the story was told from the animals point of view. I loved it!
I really enjoyed this book. I really liked how the different characters' personalities somewhat resembled the correct species. In many books with Animals in them the author just gives them a human personality that doesn't necessarily resemble the animal in any way. Each of the animal character in this book actually had personalities fitting with their species. Also, I really appreciate the message about standing up for injustice. As a kid Julia sets an example by recognizing the injustice at the Mall and standing up against. Her Dad George also set a strong example. While he didn't really want to cause any commotion or loose his job, he eventually gave in to what was right even though it cost him his job. Unfortunately standing up for what is right doesn't always get you a reward. It often means accepting consequences no matter what they are.
For Ivan doing the right thing meant giving up everything he ever knew as normal. While his life wasn't good, he pretended that he was okay by pretending that his owner was good and that he lived in a "domain" instead of a cage. In order to fulfill his promise to Stella and get Ruby out he had to open his eyes to just how bad his conditions were. He had to admit how bad Mack was, even though Mack had raised him and taken care of him.
Ivan's journey was about being true to himself and about doing what was right for his friends. This message is powerful to anyone, but especially school aged kids. The pressure at school is to fit in and adapt in order to be cool. The message of this book is the opposite. We have to stand together instead of abandoning our friends, even if that means sacrificing fitting in.
Jennifer wrote: "I really enjoyed reading this book! I generally like reading books with animals as characters. There were several times I had a tear in my eye. I liked that Ivan told the story from his point of..."I generally don't like books with animals as the main characters, however, this book was an exception. Ivan was a very rich character who seemed very much like a gorilla raised as a human, instead of just being human character stuck in a gorilla body. His language was short and simple. For an animal book really well done!
Jennifer...I agree about reading from the point of view of a captive animal. Do people really think about how it affects an animal to be snatched from their ecosystem and transplanted into a man-made structure. I would like to use this with my classes to discuss animals in captivity.
.....
This is an interesting thought. Unfortunately for Ivan, because of his upbringing he lives in a world where he is not fully human, nor does he know how to be Gorilla.
This may be a strange comparison, but many of my language learning students are caught in a tension similar to this. Because of the desire to fit into the dominate culture here, but because they started late learning English they find themselves having difficulty with both languages. Sadly I see some students who have difficulty with English in my class, then at Parent student teacher conferences they have difficulty understanding their parents who speak in spanish. Not all of my language learners are like this. But many seem to be stuck in between their culture and fitting in with their friends.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book narrated by a gorilla. I like the things all the animals think and say.I enjoyed the picasso entry where Ivan is thinking about something yellow to draw, and he finally decides on a banana. Then, he thinks again, wondering what else might be yellow. “I draw another banana. And then I draw eight more.” I think this episode is where I began to dislike Mack.
Stella, who according to Ivan has a better memory than he, (Well, of course. She’s an elephant!) remarks that she always tells the truth although she sometimes confuses the facts. I totally relate to that.
There are some good descriptions in this story. Ivan’s description of Ruby is one. “Her eyes are like Stella’s, black and long-lashed, bottomless lakes fringed by tall grass.” A few pages later, he describes Ruby’s voice. “It’s like the song of a bird I recall from long ago, a tiny yellow bird with a voice like dancing water.” Great metaphor and simile.
I like Julia. It makes me happy that she and Ivan share the art of drawing and use that to connect.
When I realized Ivan was painting a word in the creation of his puzzle, I thought of Charlotte’s Web. In both stories a little girl is used to put the puzzle together or draw attention to the words in the web and involve the grownups leading to the resolution of the story. Even with these similarities, the topic of The One and Only Ivan is much more serious. I like following Ivan’s thinking process of how he will keep his promise to Stella, and how he uses the medium of art to accomplish it. His connection with Julia paid off, and his faith in her was justified. The picketing demonstration that results reminds the reader of Stella’s words after hearing Ruby’s story, “Humans can surprise you sometimes.”
Allowing Ivan to observe through television the troop he will be integrated into so he can see how to behave was so wise. These techniques are probably used in the real zoological world.
This is a wonderful story where Stella’s wisdom is built upon to make everything work out for all the other characters – even Bob!
I think it would be a great story for ESL students to read. The placement of words on the page with so much open space between lines makes it less intimidating.
Hmmm. I wonder if the open space between the lines is done purposely to contrast the small enclosure these animals were kept in while in captivity and to symbolically represent the natural habitat they were created to live in.
Marshall -You commented making a comparison between Ivan and ESL students and the process that takes place as they try to integrate the two worlds they come from. I see the same thing in my classroom of ESL students. I try to encourage my ESL students to try to excel in both academic worlds which would involve reading in their first language as well as in English. When young adults, they can then decide if they wish to participate professionally in the world of their first language or in English or they can help bridge the gap between the two communities for others who are not as proficient in both languages.
Jennifer wrote: "I really enjoyed reading this book! I generally like reading books with animals as characters. There were several times I had a tear in my eye. I liked that Ivan told the story from his point of..."Jennifer - What a great idea to have science students read this book. It would present career opportunities available for those with a heart for the animal kingdom and an aptitude for science that many students might not get exposure to otherwise.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was an easy read. I loved how K.A. Applegate gave the animal characters real life voices. This story somewhat tugged at my heart. I will never look at animals in a circus or at a zoo the same again. This book gave a human perspective of what these animals are probably thinking. I'm sad for the animals that they are taken from their natural habitats and forced to live in these man made habitats that doesn't give them the sense of security or peace. I loved how Ivan found an escape... a hobby that enable him to feel at peace "quiet" in his words. I was waiting for the paintings to someday save him from his domain and it did. I was sad that Stella didn't have the chance to live with other elephants in a zoo like Ruby did. Ivan "Mud" kept his promise to Stella and saved Ruby from the domain they once resided. This was such a cute story with a happy ending. Although there were some sad parts, however the ending somewhat over shadowed the sad parts. The next time I go to the zoo, I am pretty sure I will be wondering what the gorillas and elephants are thinking inside their domains. Ivan made much progress, from drawing bananas daily to finally drawing something from his mind which eventually saved everyone.
I found it clever that the author used the perspective of the animals to tell about a boy who fell inside a gorilla's domain. Though it is a fictional story, we usually hear the "human" side of the story. I thought it was interesting how the author had the animals wondering why humans thought the gorilla was going to kill the boy and found it surprising when he did not.
I think this would be a good read for 3rd grade and up. Wonderful story from the perspective of a gorilla!
Jenna wrote: "This book really did it's best to tug at your heart strings! Anyone else not planning a circus trip for awhile? Applegate did a fantastic job of giving these animals a voice and a raw and realistic..."I totally agree! am not a circus goer anyway, but I think this book just even made it more permanent...those poor animals. I had no idea that this was based on a true events, then again it isn't surprising. Sad to say the least. I am going to look back at the ebook that I had to see if it had any details. Just read the details from the author. Wow what an awesome story. He was housed in a mall in Washington State. (How strange)
Glad he is with his own kind now.
Rochelle wrote: "I loved how this book was written. I love to read books with small chapters like this as a read aloud. I don't know why but it seems to flow better. It also allows me to do a quick read aloud with ..."I agree, this book is a very easy read. I think it helps readers who are struggling. It somewhat seemed like we were reading from Ivan's diary or journal. The author did an excellent job at giving Ivan a voice.
The One and Only Ivan is a wonderful book. For the reluctant reader, I appreciate the shorter paragraphs and their spacing. It eases the intimidation and builds confidence in the ability to read a larger chapter book. The beginning read like a journal. It was slow and I almost formed an opinion of dislike. However, when the story line began to broaden, I was spellbound.The characters were lively. I noticed that I began to give them voices in my head similar to Disney characters I had seen in videos. Bob was definitely Timon from Lion King. I also loved how the author used storytelling to fully help the reader understand the characters.
I envision using this book as a read aloud. Its the kind of story that keeps you on the edge wanting to know what will happen next. I was just as intrigued with piecing together Ivan's paintings as George and Julia. During his nightly painting sessions, I never knew if the painting were symbolic of his message or could you really envision the images he was painting.
The story was also completely satisfying. The ending answered all my questions. We know what happens to everyone in the story except for Mack (let me know if I missed that), yet we do have the last scene when Mack pulls out the photo of he and Ivan in his convertible and speaks of the fun they shared together. Mack acknowledges that he is going to miss him and then "He doesn't look back", but Mack puts the photo back in his pocket. To me that says he will not forget Ivan. How sweet!
This book was a great read!
Shanay wrote: "I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was an easy read. I loved how K.A. Applegate gave the animal characters real life voices. This story somewhat tugged at my heart. I will never look at animals in ..."Shanay, I agree. I enjoyed reading from the voice of the animals. My kids and I usually make jokes or "funnies" of what the animals might be thinking when we see them in the zoo. We have always had fun discussing the gorillas at the Fort Worth Zoo. He has a look on his face that says it all. I don't think he likes to be bothered.
V. wrote: "I don’t think I’ve ever read a book narrated by a gorilla. I like the things all the animals think and say.I enjoyed the picasso entry where Ivan is thinking about something yellow to draw, and h..."
V. great observation between the shortness of the lines to captivity of the animals. I also think the short chapters give the sense of moment to the story so that you experience the length of captivity because the days keep passing away quickly. Ivan also keeps up with the his days in the domain. When Julia gave him the magic markers, he was at nine thousand, eight hundred and seventy-six days.
This book would also work will with art lesson. Ivan is introduced to pencils, markers, finger paints, water color, and I assume the buckets of paint were probably acrylic paints.
Katherine Applegate did an amazing job on The One and Only Ivan. This story is incredible. I am definitely adding this book to my personal library. The story of Ivan is so heartbreaking. The fact that he was captured and witnessed the cruelty done to his family is awful. What is worse is that he had to see his sister die in the cage next to him. The horrible part in all of this is that this type of thing probably happens a lot. I know that the story is made up and so are some of the characters but, Ivan’s story is not. The characters in this story are well developed. I love Julia. I love that Julia understands Ivan because they are both artists. I loved Stella and was sad to see her die. I did not like reading about how she was just thrown away. I felt so bad for all the animals at the mall. I hated that Stella, Ivan, Bob, and Ruby lived in small cages at the mall. I was glad that they all were saved in the end. As I was reading this I was reminded about how I feel anytime that I see animals at the zoo or at the circus. I can’t help but feel sad for them because they are caged. I always feel like they would be better off in their natural habitat. I also know that some animals are better off at the zoo. For example, the animals that are endangered are safer at the zoo away from hunters and poachers. Another thing that this book reminded me about is how we all have sad stories that we keep to ourselves. Sometimes we block out bad memories from ourselves so that they do not hurt us. This book is a little like Because of Winn-Dixie because it teaches the reader that you have to face your demons or your past because it makes you who you are in the future. Ivan said he wasn't good at remembering but that is not true. Once Ivan remembered what happened to him it gave him the courage to keep the promise he made to Stella. One thing I was worried about was that Bob would end up alone and I am glad he didn't. I am glad that Julia convinced her dad to keep Bob. All the characters got a happy ending except for the mall owner. Even though the mall owner was somewhat cruel you couldn't help but feel sorry for him because he ended up alone. I love this book!
Cynthia wrote: "The characters are easy to love and I was quickly drawn into caring about their well-being and their future."Cynthia, I completely agree. Almost instantly you start feeling empathy towards all the animals at the mall. I liked all the characters that were developed in this book.
Jennifer wrote: "It is sad to think about how animals are taken into captivity. The animals are not always treated well. Stella is an example. The experience she described includes long days of working, doing tricks that are not necessarily natural. Do circus animals like what they do? The chain she wore on her foot caused a long time injury, which eventually led to her death.'It is sad how animals are taken from their homes and placed in captivity.Stella's death was so sad and it was all because of the work she was forced to do.
Wow Wow! I seriously loved this one! Such an important perspective on the plight of circus animals or any exploited animals. But even so, it didn’t come off as preachy or one-sided. I still felt that Ivan’s owner cared about him and things didn’t end perfectly with Julia’s dad (forgot name) losing his job. I definitely had a few teary moments, but I’m always partial to a good animal story. I especially like that the reader can further investigate the inspiration for this story and the real life issues on which it’s based. The author’s note was a perfect conclusion. It concluded the story by answering lingering questions and inspiring new ones, at least in my mind.
I think young readers could use this story as a catalyst for a research paper about animals in their natural habitat or about circuses or circus animals.
This story is delicate and insightful, and as I said, not overbearing or preachy when it could have been…I highly recommend.
Maira wrote: "Katherine Applegate did an amazing job on The One and Only Ivan. This story is incredible. I am definitely adding this book to my personal library. The story of Ivan is so heartbreaking. The fact t..."I love the connection you made to Winn Dixie-good point! And I agree about the mall owner. I definitely feel bad for him because I don't think he was an evil person, just misguided. It really makes the story deeper and would open the door for discussions.
Sdg22 wrote: "The One and Only Ivan is a wonderful book. For the reluctant reader, I appreciate the shorter paragraphs and their spacing. It eases the intimidation and builds confidence in the ability to read ..."So true about the layout of the book. Very reader friendly. It does help a reluctant reader or a reader just unsure about the story.
Jenna wrote: "This book really did it's best to tug at your heart strings! Anyone else not planning a circus trip for awhile? Applegate did a fantastic job of giving these animals a voice and a raw and realistic..."Definitely! Keep circuses non-animal variety!
This was an amazing story. I laughed and cried a lot. I loved that it was written from Ivan's voice. That really made the story more emotional and connecting. I also really like that they took this from a true story and gave it background. I was excited to hear every memory that Ivan remembered and how Julia would help him each night. I have always felt so sad for animals in the circus and the zoo for that matter. I also think that moving to a zoo would be good for an animal that is stuck. They might not be able to go into their kind in the wild. Ivan had enough trouble first meeting his new family at the zoo. I was very pleased to see Bob at the end.
Cynthia wrote: "The One and Only Ivan is a splendidly written novel. I loved everything about it, from the concept behind the story to the way in which the author writes the story. I found it interesting how the..."I also felt so moved when I found out the real back story. It made me feel like I knew this wonderful Ivan. Great story!
Sdg22 wrote: "The One and Only Ivan is a wonderful book. For the reluctant reader, I appreciate the shorter paragraphs and their spacing. It eases the intimidation and builds confidence in the ability to read ..."This is a great book for a non-reader. I can see kids really getting into this one with the short sections.
