The One and Only Ivan

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The One and Only Ivan
The One and Only Ivan cover.jpg
First edition
Author Katherine Applegate
IllustratorPatricia Castelao
Country United States
Language English
Genre Children's Literature
Publisher HarperCollins
Publication date
2012
Media typePrint (hardcover)

The One and Only Ivan is a 2012 novel written by Katherine Applegate and illustrated by Patricia Castelao. It is about a silverback gorilla named Ivan who lived in a cage at a mall, and is written from Ivan's point of view. In 2013 it was named the winner of the Newbery Medal. [1] It has won several other awards and is currently nominated to several reading lists. [2] It was followed in 2020 by The One and Only Bob , presented from the point of view of Ivan's best friend, the dog Bob. [3] A second sequel, The One and Only Ruby, was published in 2023. [4]

Contents

Plot

The story of the one and only Ivan is placed at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall by the Video Arcade. Ivan, the Silverback Gorilla, has lived in captivity at the Big Top Mall for 9,876 days by his own tally. He lives in his domain, and is generally content with his life. He watches television, eats bananas, and makes artwork that is sold by the owner. Along with Ivan, Stella, an elephant, and Bob, a stray dog, live at the mall. Stella is an older elephant who has a chronic injury in one leg and regularly performs in the daily shows. Unlike Ivan, Stella has a long memory and can remember living in other places, like the circus where she was taught many of her tricks. However, Stella wanted to live in a zoo, because they have much wider spaces for their domains. Stella believes that good zoos are how humans make amends.

When Ruby, a baby elephant, is brought to the Big Top Mall to live with Stella and learn new tricks, things begin to change. Stella's old injury causes her to get sick. Just before Stella succumbs to her illness and passes away, she asks Ivan to take care of Ruby and find her a better place. Ivan promises he will take care of Ruby, even though he does not know how he will manage to do it.

After Stella's death, Ivan begins to remember his life before the Big Top Mall and what it was like to have freedom if only to have stories to tell to Ruby. While Mack, the owner of the Big Top Mall is trying to train Ruby to do tricks, Ivan witnessed first-hand the abuse to which she is subjected and starts to decide how to keep his promise to Stella.

When Julia, the custodian George's daughter, gives Ivan some finger paints, he begins to get an idea of how to help Ruby. He also changes his opinion of the Big Top Mall. He no longer thinks of his area as his domain but as a cage.

Ivan uses his art to make a large picture of the word "home". After Julia puts the letters together and discovers what Ivan is trying to convey, George and Julia help him by putting it on the billboard outside of the Big Top Mall. When people see the new signs, they begin to protest the treatment of the animals. Investigators are sent to the Big Top Mall and eventually, it is closed down. Ivan, Ruby, and the other animals are taken away to a zoo. Ivan lives in a white box for a while, only getting occasional visits to the zoo so that he can get adjusted to being a wild gorilla, but afterward he starts to live with his new gorilla family at the zoo. He later discovers Bob had become Julia's pet, and that he and Ruby had been both adopted by the same zoo, where they begin adapting to their new habitats and the other animals they now live with.

Characters

Inspiration

Although The One and Only Ivan is an entirely fictional story, it is inspired by the true story of Ivan, [5] who lived in a similar situation for 27 years. [6] Eventually Ivan was adopted by Zoo Atlanta in 1994. [7]

Reception

The book had a positive response with a 4.25 review on Goodreads. [8] According to Kirkus Reviews , "Fittingly, Ivan narrates his tale in short, image-rich sentences and acute, sometimes humorous observations that are all the more heartbreaking for their simple delivery... Utterly believable, this bittersweet story... will inspire a new generation of advocates." [9] Jonathan Hunt wrote in The Horn Book Magazine , "The choice to tell this story in the first person and to personify the gorilla with an entire range of human thoughts, feelings, and emotions poses important questions to the reader, not only about what it means to be human but also about what it means to be a living creature, and what kind of kinship we all share." [10] Carolyn Phelan wrote in Booklist that "The text, written in first person from Ivan's point of view, does a good job of vividly conveying his personality, emotions, and intelligence as well as creating a sense of otherness in his point of view." [11] Writing for School Library Journal , Elizabeth Bird said, "There's nothing twee or precious about it. Just good crisp writing, complex characters, and a story that will make animal rights activists out of the most lethargic of readers. Applegate has penned a real doozy of a book that speaks to the best and worst in all of us." [12]

Film adaptation

On April 9, 2014, it was announced that Disney may adapt the book with Allison Shearmur to produce. [13] On May 6, 2016, it was announced that Mike Newell would direct the film, but on March 1, 2018 he was replaced by Thea Sharrock. The screenplay was written by Mike White. [14] The cast for the film include Sam Rockwell as Ivan, Angelina Jolie as Stella, Bryan Cranston as Mack, Ariana Greenblatt as Julia, and Ramón Rodríguez as Mack's assistant, Brooklynn Prince as Ruby, Helen Mirren as Snickers, Danny DeVito as Bob, with Indira Varma and Eleanor Matsuura in undisclosed roles. Shearmur, who died on January 19, 2018, would still have a producing credit along with Jolie and Brigham Taylor. The movie entered production on the week of May 1, 2018. [15] It was originally planned for a theatrical release on August 21, 2020; however, due to the theater closures impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was changed into a Disney+ Original as a video on demand release.

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References

  1. Schulte, L (2014-01-27). "2013 Newbery Medal and Honor Books". Association for Library Service to Children. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  2. "The One and Only Ivan". Children's Literature Comprehensive Database. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  3. Quattlebaum, Mary (May 10, 2020). "'The One and Only Bob': The tiny, tough dog with a huge heart". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  4. "The One and Only Ruby" . Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  5. "Q & A with Katherine Applegate". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  6. "Aged, beloved Ivan the gorilla from Tacoma dies at Atlanta zoo". The Seattle Times. 2012-08-21. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  7. "Celebrating Ivan" . Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  8. "The One and Only Ivan" . Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  9. "The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, Patricia Castelao". Kirkus Reviews . September 28, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  10. Hunt, Jonathan (January 25, 2012). "Review of The One and Only Ivan". The Horn Book Magazine . Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  11. Phelan, Carolyn (February 15, 2012). "One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate". Booklist . Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  12. Bird, Elizabeth (March 7, 2012). "Review of the Day: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate". School Library Journal . Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  13. "Disney to Adapt Newbery Medal-Winning 'The One and Only Ivan'". firstshowing.net. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  14. "'Harry Potter' Director Mike Newell to Tackle 'The One and Only Ivan' for Disney (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . 6 May 2016.
  15. "Helen Mirren, Danny DeVito Join Angelina Jolie in Disney's 'The One and Only Ivan'". The Hollywood Reporter . May 2018.
Awards
Preceded by Newbery Medal recipient
2013
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Hooper Finds a Family
Christopher Award
2013
Succeeded by
Flora & Ulysses
Preceded by
Won Ton – A Cat Tale Told in Haiku
Crystal Kite Member Choice Award for California/Hawaii
2013
Succeeded by
Better Nate Than Ever
Preceded by
The Pup Who Cried Wolf
Flicker Tale Children's Book Award for Intermediate Books
2013
Succeeded by
I Survived the Battle of the Gettysburg, 1863