The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

This book is one of my favorites from the past few years.  It received a well deserved Newbery Award in 2013, and was on the Battle of the Books list last year.  Ivan the gorilla tells his story of being taken away from his family and placed in a small circus at the mall. There are no other gorillas, just an elderly elephant, a macaw, and a stray dog. As much as he loves his animal friends, he longs to see another gorilla, which he has not done since he was separated from his parents and twin sister.

He adores the janitor’s daughter Julia, who shows Ivan how to draw and paint. He really enjoys creating his masterpieces, which are sold in the gift shop at the mall. When a baby elephant named Ruby joins the show, Ivan promises the elderly elephant Stella that he will somehow get Ruby out of there before she wastes her life away in a small, dirty cage. Ivan promises, but how in the world can he make good on this promise?

There’s 305 pages in the book, but there’s lots of white space which makes for a quick read. I promise you’ll fall in love with Ivan. I loved him even more when I learned that this story is based on a real gorilla named Ivan, who also spent 27 years in mall zoo. I really enjoyed the occasional illustrations of the characters and also Ivan’s artwork.

Applegate also wrote a picture book about the real Ivan,  called Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla.  A wonderful way to share Ivan's story with children of all ages.

Anyone who enjoys animal stories and tales of friendship must read this book!