The One and Only Ivan: An Adventure in Prose and Poetry

Hello! I'm Sloane, and I am reviewing The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Similar to my previous post, this is a book I had read a few years ago, and I decided to re-read it. I'll be exploring the overall book, as well as its intriguing format of writing.

The One and Only Ivan's main character is Ivan, a calm gorilla who lives in the Exit 8 Big Top Mall, a shopping center with various animal enclosures. His imagery gives a dreary and lonely feeling to the place, as he was taken from his home in the wild at a young age to end up in this cage. No other gorillas live in the mall, but Ivan is accompanied by a lively dog named Bob and a wise elephant named Stella. One day, a baby elephant named Ruby arrives to the mall. Though she is shy and scared, Ivan and the other animals help her feel welcome. With the help of Julia, a girl who spends time with Ivan, they work toward helping Ruby and all the other animals in the mall.

The format of this book is different from a usual prose novel. When I had first read the book as a younger kid, I didn't really notice a difference in the writing format. But when I heard that it was considered a book in verse, I thought about it in a new way. It looks like prose at first glance, but it has the occasional line breaks like poetry, and it has "chapter" titles similar to those in a poetry book, sometimes only offering us one or two lines in one chapter before entering the next one. This specific format selected for the book impacts Ivan's narrative voice, as he sometimes speaks with a simple and straightforward tone, especially when he thinks to himself. He often references in the book that humans speak too many words, while he prefers to only express things patiently. Other times, when he describes action, he uses detailed elements to paint a picture of what's happening, taking time to observe his surroundings.

The One and Only Ivan is a heartwarming story about perseverance and the relationships between animals and humans. Its unique style of writing adds an element of poetry, which illustrates it with emotion.

- Sloane

Comments

  1. JuniMonday, September 23, 2024 at 1:49:00 PM CDT

    I read this book a few years ago too! It is so good! It was so sad though :( but its a really inspiring book and i like it a lot

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sarah T.Monday, September 23, 2024 at 2:25:00 PM CDT

    This blog post is really well-written! I can relate to seeing a book differently after rereading it. Although I have heard of this book before, I haven't actually read it. But the format of the writing sounds really interesting!

    ReplyDelete

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