Tag: the one and only ivan

Ivan – the Shopping Mall Gorilla

“The One and Only Ivan” by Katherine Applegate is one of my top 10 favorite children’s books. I’ve written about this book before. I still have the same feelings I had then…how many times can I use profound, brilliant, and amazing without it feeling repetitive or unnecessary. Ivan’s story is one of those rare books that touches your heart in a way that profound and brilliant simply can’t be said enough about it.

Visiting the library this past week, I saw another favorite Ivan book that I previously shared here…Katherine Applegate’s “Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla.” I haven’t looked at this book since 2015, but I saw it and needed to revisit my old friend, Ivan. Yes, Ivan really did live in a shopping mall for 27 years. My heart hurts to think about this poor lonely gorilla trapped in a cage in a shopping mall for most of his life. The book begins and ends with the same line “In leafy calm, in gentle arms, a gorilla’s life began.” The story follows Ivan’s life from a tropical forest in Africa to a house in Washington, to a shopping mall once Ivan was too big to keep at home, and finally, to Zoo Atlanta where vets and scientists gave Ivan the closest life they could that tropical forest in Africa.

Books like these make the readers feel so many emotions. Readers of all ages feel frustration for Ivan, anger that he is held captive, relief when he ends up in the closest place to the forest (Zoo Atlanta). This is why I love a great children’s book. Initially a reader may wonder how they could possibly relate to a gorilla in a cage in a mall, but Applegate brilliantly shows the reader they can. Gorillas are incredibly intelligent animals who feel emotions like us. It is impossible to read this book and not feel a connection to Ivan.

Children will love that “The One and Only Ivan” is told in first person gorilla. The Ivan picture book is told by a narrator. Initially, I expected first person gorilla to make the book feel more childish, but it didn’t. It made me feel more of a connection to Ivan. It made me feel like I was stepping into his world and seeing it through his eyes. If you are interested in knowing more about the incredible Ivan, these videos show his life in a cage in a mall, his later life at Zoo Atlanta and more about his life.

A great children’s book doesn’t mean it is only written for children. It means the book is written appropriately for children BUT is a great book for readers of all ages. Visit the brilliant (yes, I’m using that word again) Ivan stories through both books and you will understand what I mean. I can’t recommend this book enough and I will definitely revisit my friend, Ivan, again soon.

The one and only bob

Last week, Katherine Applegate released “The One and Only Bob” which follows Bob, the dog, from “The One and Only Ivan.” Ivan became one of my favorite characters and I wasn’t sure what to expect as we journeyed into Bob’s story.

If you haven’t read “The One and Only Ivan,” it is based on the true story of a gorilla named Ivan who spent over 20 years living in a cage in a shopping mall. The story is told from Ivan’s perspective. When I first read it, it was my first encounter with a story in “first person gorilla” but Applegate managed to capture this trapped gorilla’s voice in a way that was both authentic and believable.

In “The One and Only Ivan,” Bob, a stray dog, finds his way into the mall searching for food and squeezes himself into the gorilla cage to steal a piece of banana. He succeeds but also finds a friend in Ivan. He remains at the mall with Ivan and Ruby, an elephant also held in a cage in the mall, until rescuers save the gorilla and elephant.

One of the employees, whose daughter Julia often visited Ivan, Ruby, and Bob, takes Bob home and he becomes a part of their family. We begin “The One and Only Bob” with Bob living with Julia and her family. Julia’s dad has a job at the animal sanctuary where Ivan and Ruby now live and Julia and Bob are able to visit them often.

Bob is a tough little dog who had a rough life prior to living with Julia’s family. The entire story is told from his perspective. While Applegate captured the voice of Ivan so brilliantly, she managed to capture the very different, but equally entertaining, voice of Bob perfectly. Bob shares his view of the world as only a dog could see it.

While I read and found myself laughing out loud at times, it was this passage that made me realize Bob’s view of the world was more than just sharing his story, it was words of wisdom from a smart little dog.

Dogs ain’t perfect. But I’ll tell you one thing where we rule: tolerance.

For us, a dog is a dog is a dog. I see a Great Dane, I say howdy. I run into a puggle, it”s Glad to meet ya, how’s it goin’, smelled any good pee lately?

Go to a dog park and you’ll see. We are equal opportunity playful. You sniff my rear, I sniff yours.

You don’t see that with humans, obvious.y Constantly seeing differences where none exist. All those things like skin color? Dogs could care less. You think I won’t hang with a dalmatia ’cause he’s spotted? Or a sharpei ’cause she’s wrinkled?

I’m not saying I love every dog I meet. (Snickers comes to mind.)

But I’ll always give a dog the benefit of the doubt. Life is short. Play is good. And there are plenty of tennis balls to go around.

While it is challenging for many second books to live up to the first, “The One and Only Bob” is a great second book. Applegate’s talent for bringing animal voices to life is incredible and believable. Pick up a copy of “The One and Only Bob” to see what happens with all the incredible characters in “The One and Only Ivan.” You will laugh, you may shed a tear, you will be reminded of the importance of true friendship and perseverance.