Most of you are probably already aware of the award-winning author, Katherine Applegate. Her books include the 2008 Golden Kite Award-winning Home of the Brave, the chapter book series Roscoe Riley Rules (#1: Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs), and The Buffalo Storm, a picture book. She is also the co-creator (with her husband, Michael Grant) of the Animorphs series (#1: The Invasion), a publishing phenomenon that has sold more than 35 million copies worldwide. So it should be of no surprise that her latest novel (a book that’s based on real events that is written in free-verse form), The One and Only Ivan, is a thoroughly enjoyable—albeit tear-inducing at times—read. No. Let’s be a bit more emphatic: It’s a show-stopper.
The protagonist of The One and Only Ivan is not a wayward kid with issues or even one who learns a valuable lesson. He’s a Silverback gorilla—and he lives in the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade off of Interstate 95. Each and every day of the year, he “knuckle walks” around his scraggly cage, hoots and hollers, and occasionally draws pictures of bananas and the other things in his cage that are then sold in the neighboring gift shop for $20 a pop ($25 if framed). He’s dreadfully alone, save for Stella, the aging and ailing elephant housed next-door; Bob, a stray mutt who keeps everyone company; Julie, the young daughter of a kind night janitor who cleans the mall; and lest we forget the hordes of curious onlookers that come to gawk at and mimic the animals each day. It’s a miserable existence, but one Ivan’s grown used to because he doesn’t know any better . . . it’s been that way ever since he can remember.
Ivan’s story is a sad one—and it gets even darker when Stella suffers from maltreatment and Ruby, a new baby elephant, is shipped in to make more money for the mall. It is Stella’s dying wish that Ivan protect Ruby from harm and the gorilla miraculously keeps his promise. (*SPOILER ALERT!*) When he illustrates a series of finger-paintings that, when put together, form a gigantic drawing of a zoo and the word “Home”, the new billboard attracts crowds of new visitors. It also sparks a huge controversy. The once-oblivious public, egged on by media coverage and animal rights’ activists’ protests, starts to feel more than a little uncomfortable by the presence of a wild beast living in the equivalent of a large Costco. In the end, Ivan and crew are “rescued” and sent to live in a large zoo with other animals of their kind, seemingly happy to be reintegrated and in the company of actual grass and clean water.
Of course, there are still big problems with this picture, and Applegate hints that the solution (i.e. shipping maltreated animals off to zoos) is merely slapping a Band-Aid on a much broader conundrum—that whole species of animals are being captured and taken from their natural habitats (or killed) for the sole purpose of entertaining and/or providing kitschy paraphernalia for humans. In the end, while Ivan expresses his happiness about being able to “run free,” he’s still aware that his new surroundings are far from what he’s entitled to as a mighty gorilla on planet Earth and this sentiment should be something even the littlest of kids can understand.
Whether you believe zoos are humane or not (I, for one, think they aren’t, unless they are strictly for rehabilitation purposes), most adult readers will agree that Applegate does a good job couching the facts surrounding the “animals as entertainment” issue in a way younger readers can understand and empathize with. In her author’s note, she not only explains her impetus for writing The One and Only Ivan, but she also informs readers that the book is based on actual events. Truth be told, there’s a real Silverback gorilla named Ivan who currently lives (and paints) at Zoo Atlanta. He and his twin-sister were captured in the Democratic Republic of Congo almost 30 years ago. While his sister died on route to the U.S., Ivan spent 27 years living cloistered away in a circus-themed mall off the interstate in Washington State before being “rescued” and sent to Zoo Atlanta. There’s even a National Geographic documentary about him (albeit on VHS) entitled “The Urban Gorilla.” (For more information about the real Ivan or the film, read a recent article in the Weekly Volcano, the article in the Seattle Times from 1991, or read a profile about Ivan on Paws.org.) Ivan’s is a sad story, but one worth watching and reading about. Unfortunately, there are many more like it.
As someone who had a chance to spend time with Howler monkeys in the wild this past August (gasp. I can just hear what Ivan would say after hearing I compared him to a Howler.), I can wholeheartedly say they—and all primates—are fascinating creatures. The sound of their roars can stop your heart, especially if you’re right underneath the tree they are perched in. To think that they are routinely kept as pets or hunted for their paws, meat, and heads, is simply unbearable. A lifetime spent in a cage is just as bad.
There are lots of books out there—both fiction and nonfiction—dedicated to the maltreatment of animals. What are some others you’d recommend?
Like most bookworms, Alexis Burling has loved reading since she could crawl. She has worked in the publishing industry for over a decade and has reviewed both children's and adult books for prominent media outlets such as teenreads.com, Publishers Weekly, and the Washington Post.
