The One and Only Ivan: A Gentle Friendship Story About Patience, Kindness, and Everyday Adventures Together

Incredible sweet story -9yo 5 stars, this is the best -6yo Beautiful, fun for all of us! Thought provoking. -35yo

This book won the Newbery Medal for Children's Literature in 2013, and it was much deserved. Here's what the book has going for it: 1. The Targeted age of the reader: In recent years people have complained that the Newbery Medal was being awarded to books that were for an older demographic, like older teenagers. I'm not sure I agree with that, because when you read the earlier Newbery Medal books you can tell by the vocabulary and subject matter that the intent has always been for these books to enrich the young reader regardless of age. With that said, Ivan is a book that has a slightly younger age group in mind. Which is important as it will introduce the young reader to great stories spurring them on to try to read more Newbery Medal books. 2. The story is based on a true story. Ivan was real! The main parts of the story are true. This would be a great school book for a young, say 5th grade, class to read, and then research the true story. A simple Google search will turn up all kinds of information about the real Ivan, pictures and all. In turn this information could be used in projects and presentations. 3. I love the characters! I truly enjoyed getting to know every character presented in the story. From the animals to the humans, each one has a great personality that I really enjoyed. My two favorite characters were the young girl, Julia and the dog, Bob. The author could easily write more books about Ivan, and Julia and Bob. 4. The illustrations are nice, and very contemporary. What I didn't Like: 1. The book is separated out, but not into chapters. I wish she had done that. I really felt a "Charlotte's Web" vibe to this book. The plot and characters have some similarities that just made the book overall enjoyable to read. I recently heard that Disney has bought the movie rights to this story, and I hope that's correct. It would make a great movie!

Popular three book series get all three. Grandchildren absolutely love the stories

A surprisingly sad book but an easy read. The ending makes it worth it. The writing is poetic, so might be best for middle school kids.

The One and Only Ivan was just the bittersweet book I needed when I was dealing with a stressful week. I read it in about one day because I could not put it down. The whole story felt like a work of art about a gorilla who makes art. The voice was such a cute, appealing, and engaging one. The format it's told in is kind of a journal that makes you see the world the way Ivan, the gorilla, does. You really get to know him and how sweet he is which makes it all the more tear jerking when you learn some of the horrible things that happened to him. The One and Only Ivan is a book I could see kids liking. Ivan, the gorilla, loves to draw simple things and eat his crayons...and sometimes his art. But the writing was so poetic and beautiful I enjoyed it immensely as an adult. "He goes back to work. His mop moves across the empty food court like a giant brush, painting a picture no one will ever see." - Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan pg 233 It was the ultimate showing not telling and it sucked me right in. And the art inside was just as beautiful as the writing. It looked stunning even on my kindle and it looks even better in the print version. The animal characters are all full of personality. I found each of them wonderful and very caring - even the sarcastic homeless dog. I really liked Stella, the elephant, and she had my favorite quote from the book: "I always tell the truth," Stella replies. "Although I sometimes confuse the facts." - Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan pg 66 The impossible task that Ivan tries to achieve reminded me of Finding Nemo and how impossible it sounded for a fish to escape a fish tank and go back to the ocean. I was rooting for Ivan hard and hoping with everything I had that he would overcome. Just when I was teary eyed enough, I read the Author's Note about how The One and Only Ivan was inspired by a true story. She embellished of course, but definitely not as much as you'd think. Very much of this story is similar to what happened to a real gorilla. Someone get me some tissues. Was I really having a stressful week? I've forgotten what it was. Overall, this was a work of art about hope and the sad reality of animal cruelty that was brought up in a beautiful way that children could relate to and understand.

I bought "The One and Only Ivan" for my 7-year-old son, and it has quickly become one of the most meaningful books in his collection. As a young reader who loves animals, he was completely captivated by Ivan’s voice and his journey from a shopping mall enclosure to finding true friendship and hope. The story is beautifully written—simple enough for a Grade 2 student to read, yet profound enough to spark deep conversations about kindness, freedom, and how we treat animals. My son felt a real connection to the characters, especially the bond between Ivan and the baby elephant, Ruby. It’s rare to find a book that touches a child’s heart so deeply while also being such an engaging page-turner. This Newbery Award winner is a "must-have" for any child's library. Whether your kid is an animal lover or just enjoys a great story with a big heart, this book is a true treasure.

Wonderful book for kids. Well packaged and delivered promptly.

Splendido libro per bambino . Rilegato bene , caratteri grandi e la storia è entusiasmante . Consigliato per i bimbi . Niente da dire .

Wonderful fast easy poignant read for adults and kids 8 yrs and up.

A beautifully written story about friendship, hope, and the yearning for freedom. Ivan's journey from a life in captivity to finding his true home is both touching and inspiring. This book is a must-read for readers of all ages.

To be 100% honest, it was not for the positive reviews that I started reading this book, but for the negative ones: there is a particular review about "how this book made my infant child cry..." and I confess, a child's book with the potential to make you cry is everything I look for when reading. To my delight, the writing on this book is rather rich in content, yet economical in its words, just like the gorilla Ivan would want it. This book is a masterpiece in its simplicity, with its rather wit vocabulary and, at the same time, simple word games, the end may not have exceeded my expectations, but those are really hard to meet, and yet I know, what I read couldn't be any different from what is written here, otherwise, it wouldn't be honest