The One And Only Ivan

 Katherine Applegate
HarperCollins, 2012
Grade Level: 3
Lexile: 570L
Fountas & Pinnell: L
Suggested Delivery: independent reading

                             "It is never too late to be what you might have been" -George Eliot

                                         Melancholy, Lonely, Patient, Creative, Hopeful

                                                 Newbery Award Winner

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all. Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.

Teaching Strategy:

Key Vocabulary:

Chest Beat

Domain

Grunting

Silverback

Vining

Before Reading Strategy: create a short survey for the students to take before reading. This survey should have a statement where students should check off if they agree or disagree with this statement. The statements should include;

"Animals should not be taken out of the wild"

"Animals belong in captivity"

"Animals enjoy being separated from their families"

"Animals do not enjoy being alone for extended periods of time"

During Reading Strategy: Have the students participate in a fishbowl discussion. The small groups will pick a question out of the "fishbowl", discuss it within their small groups and then share their thoughts with the class. 

After Reading Strategy: Have the students create a timeline of Ivans' life starting from his life in Africa and ending with his transfer to the zoo. The students should have at least five events on their timeline. 

Writing Activity: In the beginning of this novel Ivan often says he cannot remember his life before the living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. As the story progresses we see glimpses of Ivan's past. Do you think that Ivan truly doesn't remember or do you think he chooses not to remember? Use evidence from the text to provide support. 

Meet the real Ivan!

The One and Only Ivan Book Trailer!