Eileen's Reviews

Ivan, a silverback gorilla, has lived behind glass walls at the derelict Big Top Mall and Video Arcade for 27 years. Alone except for a handful of friends, Ivan turns to art—crayons and finger paint accidentally acquired—to travel beyond his cage. But when a baby elephant arrives, newly captured from the wild, Ivan realizes that his domain is pinched beyond endurance. Thus begins a desperate, valiant quest for freedom. The One and Only Ivan is a hero’s tale of escape and self- discovery that will inspire readers to rethink human kinship to animals and the reality of whatever domains, or cages, we unthinkingly inhabit. It will break your heart, but it’s wonderful. Grades 5 & up.