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Bibliography
Applegate, Katherine. Illustrated by Patricia Caselao. The One and Only Ivan. New York: HarperCollins, 2012. 9780061992254
Summary
For years, Ivan has lived a repetitive, dull, and somewhat
lonely life. Locked in his domain,
he enjoys creating art and hearing the stories that Stella tells; she never
forgets anything. Visitors
occasionally come to look at the mammoth male Silverback Gorilla who lives at
the Big Top Mall and Arcade, but not as often as they use to. With the decline in visitors, the mall’s
owner is looking for a new attraction and finds Ruby, a curious baby elephant
with a stubborn streak. No one,
especially Ivan, realizes the huge impact the little elephant will have.
Analysis
Told from the perspective of a Silverback gorilla, The One and Only Ivan is poetry for the
poetry reluctant. There is no
pattern to the series of free-verse poems, no rhyme or repetition, no
alliteration or onomatopoeia. Each
poem adds a new chapter to what we know of Ivan’s life. Some poems cover pages, while others
are only a line. This variety puts
the reader into the mind of the gorilla, conveying his emotions and thoughts in
a way traditional writing could not. It is
easy to see the writing style as nothing more than the inner-thoughts of a
gorilla. It seems very reasonable
that a gorilla would think in poetry.
Without many of the traditional aspects of poetry, Applegate
focuses on capturing emotions.
When Ivan is upset, a poem may simply be a title with a word or two of
verse. When reminiscing about his
past and remembering his sister, Ivan is able to fill pages with details of his
surroundings and emotions. This is
where the empathy of the reader comes into play, understanding the desire to be
alone when one is upset or the joy of remembering every detail of happy times
and wishing to relive them all.
With her poems, Applegate is able to activate the reader’s empathy,
allowing them to experience Ivan’s life through his words.
Awards and Reviews
*Newbery Medal 2013
*School Library Journal Best of Children’s Books 2012
*Kirkus Reviews Best of Children’s Book 2012
*Texas Bluebonnet Award, 2013-2014
"How Ivan confronts his harrowing past yet stays true
to his nature exemplifies everything youngsters need to know about courage. …
Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author's note
identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new generation of advocates."
–Kirkus Reviews
“We can’t ever really know what a gorilla is thinking at a
given time, but Applegate plays nicely with the differences between what we
think and what he thinks. Ivan isn’t stupid by gorilla means but kids might
find his thought process a bit slow from the human standpoint. That’s okay. He
comes to thoughts and ideas in his own time. Plus the pacing of those thoughts
and ideas works well.” –School Library Journal
Connections
Have students think of an animal they find interesting. Complete a graphic organizer
highlighting how the animal’s thinking would be different than a person's understanding of the world. Use
these observations to write a story about the animal's life from the animal’s
perspective.
Pretend that you are employed to create an ad campaign to
encourage people to visit Ivan, either at the mall or the Zoo. Create a poster, flier, TV commercial
or other ad persuading people to come visit Ivan. Use what you learned about Ivan’s personality and preferences as the basis of your persuasion.
Have students read non-fiction books, articles and websites about silverback
gorillas. Write a report to give
to Ivan’s keepers informing them of what they should do to provide him with the
best living conditions possible.
Read Applegate’s picture book version of Ivan’s story and
have students compare and contrast the two. Have students analyze which version of the story they enjoy more and write a letter to the school librarian explaining which one should be included in the school's collection.
The Real Ivan move to the Atlanta Zoo after his time at a mall
Applegate answers student questions about The One and Only Ivan
The real Ivan passed away in 2012
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