The One and Only Ivan

[Taylor]

This story was great when I read it awhile back and still is now. The One and Only Ivan is a great story told from the point of view of a gorilla. He’s the true hero to these animals saving them from their cruel stays behind cage bars. This is a great book showing the interactions of the animals towards the humans.

[Sarah]

What a great story! I think I'm in love with Ivan! Great discussion book about animal rights.

[Cathy]

This book is a really good book and I love how it is told from the gorilla Ivan's perspective. I have often wondered what these obviously intelligent animals thouht about we humans staring at them through glass. You can see the intelligence in there eyes. It would be a good book to discuss animal rights.

[Latoya]

I really enjoyed The One And Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate even though it is children's fiction. It is based on a true story about Ivan, a Silverback gorilla who was captured and put in a cage for 27 years without any contact with any other gorillas. In this book, Ivan is the narrator and his owner sells Ivan's drawings and paintings. Ivan is quite an artist. Ivan has a stray dog named Bob who comes into his "domain" and sleeps on Ivan's stomach. In the next cage is Stella, an elephant, who is a good storyteller but who had a hard life at a circus. When a baby elephant, Ruby, joins her, she is very protective of her and when she knows she is dying, gets Ivan to promise to protect Ruby for her. He comes up with a great plan to get Ruby moved to a zoo. This is such a cute book that has a happy ending. It is a quick read but very enjoyable! If you like animals and are looking for a heartwarming story, I recommend this one! I loved it!