The One and Only Ivan
Ivan is a gorilla who has been confined to a small “domain” of concrete, metal, and glass for 27 years. Joining Ivan at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade are Stella, an aging elephant, and Bob, a feisty stray dog. While other animals perform, Ivan makes art, watches TV, and offers melancholy assessments of their situation. When Ruby, an inquisitive baby elephant, arrives and Stella dies from neglect, her dying wish is for Ivan to help Ruby escape. He is successful, and they are both relocated to a happy life at the zoo. A class activity to get students to recall details from the story would be to make an anchor chart of the four different settings that Ivan lives in and have students write down details describing each of these places on sticky notes.
Lexile: 570L
