In a book called “The One and Only Ivan”, it makes sense that Ivan is at the heart of the story. Not only does his life take center stage, but he's also our one and only narrator. This book is all Ivan, all the time! In case you're having second thoughts about spending time in an ape's brain, worry not. Ivan is as articulate a narrator as they come, and a bit of a poet to boot! He recounts his life with honesty, humility, and major smarts. A fun fact: there really was a gorilla named Ivan wh [...]

I've had The One and Only Ivan on my 'to be read' list for several months, and I'm so glad I read it! A fabulous book for elementary and middle grades (and older), this is probably my favorite animal story since Charlotte's Web -- and I don't make that comparison lightly. Like E.B. White's classic, it is by turns tender, funny, sad and uplifting. It's a quick read -- I'm a slow reader, and I got through it in one day. Ivan the gorilla narrates, and he is a very fine fellow indeed. I loved it. Mo [...]

A very touching story that will rip out your heart, stomp on it, then pick it back up and cradle it. Cause that's what Silverbacks do.I appreciate all the things KA managed to work into this book - primarily, our misunderstanding of animals (and mistreat), while showing that we aren't all bad. Also Stella's character was awesome. I'LL MISS YOU STELLAPHANT.Anyways, READ IT.

Please visit my blog readrantrockandroll to see this review and learn more about Ivan the gorilla. I really enjoyed this fictional story of Ivan the gorilla. The story made me think of the real Ivan and his life. What really went on in his head during those 27 years of being locked up at that dept. store?The story is cute and great for all ages. I'd recommend reading the true story about Ivan and his life before reading this fictional one. 4****

This book is so real. It's almost too deep for a children's book. Even though it's about talking animals and Ivan's complexity of thought could be a little misleading, this book touches on so many great themes both superficial toward children, but also in general about humanity, if you're mature enough to understand it. This book was cute, sad, and something very new to me. I adored it and it is such a fast read that I highly recommend it!

Mr. Hankins is putting his readers on THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN for the beginning of 2012's reading season. Think of all of the good stuff you loved about THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN and TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE and, instead of sitting with Enzo in a cozy living room watching the discovery channel or with Morrie in a study littered with books and notes, you'll be sitting in a cage with Ivan, "the Ape at Exit 8," a thoughtful gorilla tasked with one of the most difficult callings ever. . ring for a new [...]

Just when I think I'm too old, too mature, too hard-hearted, too sophisticated, too busy, or too "something" to allow a children's book to make me cry, along comes a story like this one. Don't have enough of the right words to describe itI definitely haven't mastered the craft of writing the way Ms. Applegate has. And the way she does it, with the sparest of prose, is impressive.To me, "good" writing makes the reader view something with a fresh perspective, as if (s)he has never, ever experience [...]

3.5

I have not read a middle grade children's book in a long time, and I am glad I picked up Ivan for my kids. Ivan is the fictionalized tale of Ivan the lowland gorilla who lived in wretched conditions in a shopping mall for 27 years and then later moved to the Atlanta zoo. Kristina Applegate does a wonderful job giving Ivan and his friends their inner voices as they contemplate life in captivity and what it means to be a good or a bad human. I think this book is appropriate for elementary aged chi [...]

A re-read and yup it’s still a Wow!!! What a wonderful story!!! I picked this out of the blue I didn't realize it was a "kids" book but it didn't feel like it. I loved it!!! This book is for everyone.

"Everyone has parents," Bob explains. "It's unavoidable."I started out this review with a funny quote - but this is NOT a funny book. It's one of those emotionally manipulative sad books about animals. A seven-year-old girl personally recommended this to me. Little kids LOVE emotionally manipulative sad books about animals. Charlotte's Web, Black Beauty, Old Yeller, Shiloh, Where the Red Fern Grows, The Cat Who Went to Heaven etc. etc. You can add this book to the list.This is based (loosely) on [...]

I like colorful tales with black beginnings and stormy middles and cloudless blue-sky endings. But any story will do. ~The One and Only Ivan::sniff:: What's that in my eye, this watery, salty substance? Crying? No. I'm not crying. I'm too old and cynical to cry. My tear ducts have long dried up. Really.::sniff::Oh for godsake, will someone hand me a tissue!This is a sweet, adorable story that will tug at your heart-strings in the most uplifting way. It is a beautiful, tender tale of friendship, [...]

Una historia muy conmovedora, con unos personajes que se ganan tu corazón y una enseñanza muy bonita. Una lectura ligera, fácil y rápida. Me ha gustado bastante la historia de Iván. Reseña Completa: bastvilard/201

The One and Only Ivan, Katherine ApplegateThe One and Only Ivan is a children's novel written by Katherine Applegate and illustrated by Patricia Castelao. The book is about a silverback gorilla named Ivan who lives in a cage at a mall. The novel is written in first person from the point of view of Ivan, a silverback gorilla. The story is placed at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. Ivan, the silverback gorilla, has lived in captivity at the Big Top Mall for 9,855 days by his own tally. He [...]

Este fue el último libro que leí en marzo, pero decidí esperar unos días para no escribir la reseña en "caliente".Esta es una novela sobrecogedora, esperanzadora pero muy cruel. Desde la voz de Iván, este gorila inteligente y luchador, encontramos nuevamente a la humanidad en su mejor y peor versión. Las contradicciones del ser humano cuando la palabra humanidad le queda grande, son muchas y muy difíciles de reconocer. Una novela para reflexionar sobre quién es realmente la bestia no pe [...]

Edit: My friend Matt recently wrote a review for this book and it's shorter and much nicer than mine so you should read his instead of mine. Matt's review is here.So my childhood came for a visit last weekend. By that, I mean this book came into my life last weekend. Big fonts and equally majestic illustrations reminded me of being a kid again. Yet, this book goes beyond a children's book. Everyone should read it because it conveys a story many other books lack.I, of course, expected nothing les [...]

My goodness! This book is gorgeous and so inspirational! It's based on a true story and I just got all choked up at the end! Love this sweet story <3

This was the absolute CUTEST!!!!!

No tengo palabras para describir este libro. 5/5 y directo a mis favoritos.

This award-winning middle grade story is based in truth. The structure is different with it's very short chapters/thoughts each presented with a heading/title. This fascinating approach lends a believable voice to our wise gorilla narrator, who speaks simply but understands deeply. The structure, however, did not make for a great listening experience. Long pauses between each "chapter" coupled with the many "chapter titles" made for an odd and disjointed listening experience. Though the reader v [...]

Chicken soup for the soul. The Grinch himself would be hard-pressed not to empathise with Ivan's story. With a gorgeous cover and a heartbreaking memoir of a lonely, caged gorilla living among other mistreated "circus" animals, delivered via emotionally-charged and insightful writing, Ms. Applegate forced tears from this stoic, 25-year-old pessimist. 'helloI am Ivan. I am a gorilla.It's not as easy as it looks.People call me the Freeway Gorilla. The Ape at Exit 8. The One and Only Ivan, Mighty S [...]

“Human can surprise you sometimes. An unpredictable species, Homo sapiens”----Katherine Applegate Katherine Applegate, a multiple award-winning American author, has penned a deeply moving tale about an adult gorilla living inside a glass cage in a mall in America, in her book, The One and Only Ivan. Inspired from real-life events, the author pens a heart-breaking yet thoroughly entertaining story about a gorilla and his friends and his mission to find freedom, and mind it, this book is not o [...]

Absolutely adorable, wise, sad and so many other adjectives all meaning very good. The friendships and inner voices of these animals were amazing. I think that some of the children would not understand but reading this as an adult they show such irony and wisdom. Hoping to read this to my grandchildren when they come in a couple of weeks.

Based on a true story, THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN is the tale of a silverback gorilla who's forgotten how to be a gorilla in many ways. Raised in a house with people who fed him ice cream cones and took him to baseball games, Ivan grows rambunctious and ends up creating finger paintings as one of the star attractions in a mall circus. When Ruby, a baby elephant arrives, Ivan promises to save her from a lifetime chained in a tiny cage. To do so, he needs to reclaim his title as silverback, the leader [...]

All right, the topic is Famous Ape Books of Children's Literature. And . . . go. Care to name any? Well there's Curious George, of course (often mistakenly called a monkey in spite of his lack of tail). He's the most famous but after that it gets harder. Eva by Peter Dickinson might count (also a chimp). Or a book like Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby (chimp). Gorillas appear to be much rarer, which is funny when you consider it. I would think an animal as big and impressive as a gorilla would be a [...]

5/5 starsThe Skinny:Ivan, a lonely silverback gorilla, has lived in the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade for 27 years. Ivan’s only friends are an elephant named Stella, A small dog named Bob, and a human girl named Julie. Ivan is content in his domain (as he calls it), because he does not really know any differently. One day, a new animal arrives at the struggling Big Top Mall. Ruby, a baby elephant awakens something within Ivan. Suddenly his domain doesn’t seem so warm anymore; now it s [...]

Qué historia tan bonita, tan bien contada y tan tierna. Qué preciosidad de novela. Las ilustraciones son pocas pero me sacaban una sonrisa y la voz de Iván estaba perfectamente definida y transmitía un montón. Me ha faltado algo, algo muy pequeño, pero es una de mis novelas favoritas en lo que llevo de año. Qué sensibilidad, Applegate.

Es cierto que es una historia infantil dirigida a niños, pero os aseguro que os va a llegar al corazón, aunque no seáis niños. La historia de Iván, el único e incomparable es de las más tiernas que he tenido la oportunidad de leer. Una historia desgarradora e imprescindible para las personas que amamos a los animales. Es una gran novela, con una gran historia y con grandes personajes. Si algo nos transmite este libro, es que a nadie le gusta vivir en una jaula y ojalá esto algún día se [...]

I wanted to read a short and sweet story today. Some fluff. What I didn't realize was that this book isn't fluff. It's heartbreaking and cruel and true and one of the most important stories for children (and adults) I've ever read.The story is about Ivan, a silverback gorilla who lives in a mall. The book is based on a real gorilla who was locked up in a cage of a Washington mall for 27 years before public awareness finally grew and people demanded that he be brought to a zoo (in Atlanta) at lea [...]

My, what a marvelous book. Absolutely beautiful. I hesitate to review it. I’d rather just say this: Read it. Soon. Preferably today. Don’t waste your time on the rest of this review when you could be reading the book.Okay, now that you’ve read the book, here’s my take on things: It is not exactly a secret that this book is one of the most celebrated of the year. For me, that is often a sign to stay away. What sort of book could live up to such critical acclaim? Who needs the disappointme [...]