Katherine Applegate’s The One and Only Ivan
The more I reflect on my reading, the more I appreciate my 3rd grade teacher for his book choices!! Another book I recalled reading in his class was The One and Only Ivan , a book about a silverback gorilla named Ivan who lives in a run-down mall circus. I remember finishing the story before my teacher revealed to the class that it was inspired by a real gorilla, which was a fact that surprised a lot of people. I still have my copy of the book from more than 6 years ago now, so I took the opportunity to reread it. The story is told from Ivan’s point of view and the basic gist of the book is that Ivan has been living in this small glass cage and has grown used to life in captivity. Soon, a baby elephant named Ruby arrives, causing Ivan to view their situation in a different way. Determined to protect Ruby, Ivan uses his talent of drawing to try to change their future and seek a better life outside of their cage. There’s also a few things I’ve noticed on a reread that I’d like to po...