Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla - a must for all elementary classrooms & libraries

When you start to read Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla, if you have already read The One and Only Ivan, you are going to tear up on the first page because you already love Ivan and know his fate. I am obsessed with The One and Only Ivan and have been since I had the chance to read it before release and then again when it won the Newbery. The nonfiction picture version doesn't disappoint with the true tale of Ivan. It is (once again) told with an even hand, one where humans make mistakes and humans fix mistakes. It also contains a special magic that only Ivan can create. That gorilla left a lasting mark on us humans and we need to seriously consider the balance between animal care and exploitation because of having known him.

Add this one to all elementary classrooms & libraries.

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Genre: Nonfiction Picture Book
Age: All Elementary, especially when paired with the fictional tale of Ivan
Pages: 40
Publisher: Clarion Books
ISBN:  978-0544252301

Themes: Ethics, Animal Rights, Activism
Science: Gorillas

Foreshadowing: “He did not learn about humans until it was too late.”






-------------------- That's all folks! --------------------
 © 2007-2015 Cheryl Vanatti for www.ReadingRumpus.com
P.S. Sock monkeys are not gorillas, but I didn't have a gorilla button :-)