~ Trade Paperback
~ Newberry Medal Winner - 2013
The One and Only Ivan is a contemporary classic of animal rights that centers around a silverback gorilla named Ivan who lives on display in a cage at the mall, and was inspired by a real-life Ivan who lived in a similar situation for 27 years.
Katherine Applegate blends humour and poignancy to create Ivan's unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.
"The choice to tell this story in the first person and to personify the gorilla with an entire range of human thoughts, feelings, and emotions poses important questions to the reader, not only about what it means to be human but also about what it means to be a living creature, and what kind of kinship we all share." -- The Horn Book Magazine