The One and Only Ivan

"Gorillas are as patient as stones.  Humans, not so much. " (The One and Only Ivan p. 3)

Anthony Browne made me fall hard for gorillas. His Gorilla is in my top 5 picture books of all time.  He is genius.  But that doesn't mean I automatically love all things gorilla.  In fact, I tend to cast a wary eye on fictionalized talking, art-making gorillas.  I have read The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate twice, and have just begun my third reading. The story gets better each time. It is an animal fantasy written from the point of the view of Ivan a silverback gorilla who in real life did live nearly thirty years in a glass enclosure in a mall in Washington state. Ivan's voice is quiet and his prose simple and uncluttered.  Ivan can speak with the other animals in the Big Top mall, but he can not communicate with humans except through his art.  Ivan can't read, but he can draw and his keeper Mack capitalizes on Ivan's talent by selling his finger paintings in the mall gift shop. Ivan remembers his family and life in the jungle before he was captured, but it isn't until a baby elephant joins the brood at the mall and is mistreated that he makes a promise that will change their lives forever.  Children will love this book  It is not heavy-handed in its treatment of animal cruelty and neglect, but neither does it back off from describing the stark reality of animals living in captivity.  Applegate is sensitive to her readers and allows for a gradual awakening to the horror of Ivan's life and the power of memory to restore one to a better home.

The One and Only Ivan has a rating of 4.35 stars on Goodreads with 1,712 ratings and 523 reviews.

How does this book compare to Charlotte's Web-the finest example of animal fantasy we have and a winner of a Newbery Honor in 1952? Monica Edinger had this to say on her blog Educating Alice.