The Late Bloomer's Book Blog: The ONe and Only Ivan

Showing posts with label The ONe and Only Ivan. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday-Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla

My Friend Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a weekly link up to share Nonfiction Picture Books. Please visit her amazing website.

Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla
by Katherine Applegate
Illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Published 2014 by Clarion Books
Nonfiction Picture Book
40 Pages
Copy obtained from public library.

Goodreads Summary
In a spare, powerful text and evocative illustrations, the Newbery medalist Katherine Applegate and the artist G. Brian Karas present the extraordinary real story of a special gorilla.
Captured as a baby, Ivan was brought to a Tacoma, Washington, mall to attract shoppers. Gradually, public pressure built until a better way of life for Ivan was found at Zoo Atlanta. From the Congo to America, and from a local business attraction to a national symbol of animal welfare, Ivan the Shopping Mall Gorilla traveled an astonishing distance in miles and in impact.
This is his true story and includes photographs of Ivan in the back matter.

My Thoughts

As a HUGE fan of Applegate's novel The One and Only Ivan, I was beyond excited to find that she had published a picture book of Ivan's life. Although I have read the novel a couple of times, I learned several details that I did not know about Ivan from the picture book text and from the author's notes in the back. Reading this book, I fell in love with Ivan all over again. I enjoyed the touching description provided by Ivan's main zoo handler, Jodi Carrigan, of Ivan's love of painting and his gentle nature.

With sparse text and fabulous illustrations, this book is perfect for all elementary-aged students. They do not need to have read The One and Only Ivan in order to appreciate this story. However, If you plan to read the novel, I would recommend reading the picture book to your students after you finish as it does give away the ending.

Use this book...

*as part of a unit on animals or endangered animals.

*as a mentor text to discuss treatment of animals.

*to jumpstart a community service project to help animals.
*as a nonfiction companion to The One and Only Ivan.

Resources:
The author has a discussion guide on her website.
Animal Planet has nice 2-3 minute video about mountain gorillas here.

Watch to book trailer.

Katherine Applegate discusses the book in this video.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

The Maine Student Book Award Books 2013-14-Post One

Hello Maine Educators! I have been busy trying to read as many of the MSBA's as I could before school starts. I still have 7 more to go, but from my experience so far, there are some really great books on this list. For the whole list, visit the website here.

I thought I would periodically write my thoughts about some of the MSBA books throughout the fall in hopes of helping you make decisions about what books you may want to recommend to your students. These will not be full reviews, but my a brief summary and my personal thoughts on the books.

But first, you HAVE to see this site. My friend Cathy Potter from Falmouth Elementary School has put together book trailers of all of the titles on the list categorized by genre! Here is the link.

So here, in no particular order are 5 of the MSBA books for this year.

Giants Beware
by Jorge Aguirre
Illustrated by Rafael Rosado

Goodreads Summary
Make way for Claudette the giant slayer in this delightful, fantastical adventure!

Claudette’s fondest wish is to slay a giant. But her village is so safe and quiet! What’s a future giant slayer to do?

With her best friend Marie (an aspiring princess), and her brother Gaston (a pastry-chef-to-be), Claudette embarks on a super-secret quest to find a giant—without parental permission. Can they find and defeat the giant before their parents find them and drag them back home?

Giants Beware! offers up a wondrous, self-contained world in the tradition of the very best of Pixar. Claudette and her friends will have you laughing out loud from page one.

My Thoughts
I enjoyed this graphic novel very much. Claudette is a nice example of "girl power". She shows courage in the face of danger and extreme confidence in her abilities. It is relatively easy to read and therefore accessible to many students. Students who like graphic novels or books with humor may enjoy this one. I recommend it for grades 3-5.

Prairie Evers
by Ellen Airgood

Goodreads Summary
A sweet, spirited ten-year-old embarks upon the adventure of first friendship in this sparkling debut

Prairie Evers is finding that socialization isn't all it's cracked up to be. She's been homeschooled by her granny and has learned the most from traipsing through nature. But now she has to attend public school, and feels just like her chickens--cooped up and subject to the pecking order. School is a jolt for Prairie until she meets Ivy, her first true friend. But while raising chickens and the great outdoors have given Prairie wisdom and perspective, nothing has prepared her for the give and take of friendship. When Prairie finds out that Ivy's home may not be the best place for Ivy, Prairie must corral all her optimism and determination to hatch a plan to help.

Fabulous writing and a narrator full of personality distinguish this lively middle-grade novel.

My Thoughts
This is a very sweet story. I loved watching how Prairie and Ivy's friendship developed. She sees how Ivy is being badly treated and finds a way to help. Students who like spunky characters and the theme of friendship may enjoy this book. I recommend it for grades 4-8.

Reminds me of/Similar to: Faith, Hope and Ivy June
and True..(Sort Of).

The One and Only Ivan
by Katherine Applegate

Unless you have been out of the kidlit loop for about a year, you know about this book already. It is the 2013 Newbery winner and beloved by all who have read it.

Goodreads Summary

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.

My Thoughts
I have much love for this book. If you have not read it, you should. Get a copy for your class or library.

Little Dog, Lost
by Marion Dane Bauer

Goodreads Summary

From Newbery Honoree Marion Dane Bauer comes the tale of a boy who needs a dog, and a dog who needs a boy—a match made in heaven, if only the two can meet. Mark is a boy who needs a dog. But he can’t get his mom on board with his plan. Buddy is a dog who needs a boy. Buddy has an owner already, but not one who understands the kind of love and care—the “something more”—a dog needs. Mr. LaRue is a neighbor who needs a community. He’s alone all the time in his huge old house—and everyone needs more than that. Over the course of a summer thunderstorm and one chaotic town council meeting, these three characters cross paths and come together in a timeless tale ripe with emotions and told in verse that resolves with love, understanding, and a sense of belonging—plus a place to play a game of fetch!

My Thoughts
Little Dog, Lost is just so sweet. I would recommend it to any dog lover. My 11 year old, who does not love to read, LOVED it! That is high praise. The book is 208 pages, but is written in verse so it is actually a quick read. I recommend for grades 3-6.

Malcolm at Midnight
by W. H. Beck

Goodreads Summary

When Malcolm the rat arrives as the pet at McKenna School, he revels in the attention. He also meets the Midnight Academy, a secret society of classroom pets that keeps the nutters (kids) safe. There’s just one problem…rats have a terrible reputation! So when the Academy’s iguana leader is kidnapped, Malcolm must prove his innocence—and that even rats can be good guys. Illustrated by Brian Lies of Bats at the Beach, this engaging middle-grade novel will have readers rooting for Malcolm as they try to solve the mystery alongside him.

My Thoughts
I think kids will love this story of school pets who roam around at night protecting the school. They show great teamwork and determination. There are a few twists and surprises along the way. I was actually considering using it as a read aloud this year. I recommend it for grades 4-6.

That is all for now. Please check back for more thoughts on the MSBA book list soon.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

A Letter to My Class of Readers

Dear Class,
I'd like to thank you all for a wonderful year together. I can't believe it is the end of the school year and you will soon be 5th graders.
When looking back on this year, I will remember many things. One thing I will remember is our read alouds together.

Remember how nervous we all felt every time "the Nova" was parked in front of Ferris Boyd's house? Or how Delly stopped at nothing to help her friend when Ferris Boyd was missing in True...Sort of?

Then there was The One and Only Ivan. I

remember your anger when "the hook" was used on Stella and your happiness when Ivan finally went to the zoo. We also watched Ivan win the Newbery Award together. Your cheers when Ivan was announced was one of my favorite moments (even though some of you hoped Wonder would win).

Speaking of Wonder, reading this book as a whole 4th and 5th grade was one of my highlights of this year. As we read, I noticed more and more copies of the book popping up around the room with all of you huddled around them as we read. Oh how we all grew to love Auggie and his true friends who stood up for him. We cried when Daisy died and celebrated as Auggie was recognized for his inspiration and courage. These books knit us together and the characters became members of our class.

We celebrated books and reading whenever we could. I had so much fun at our Diary of A Wimpy Kid book release party. We even got to review the new book on The Nerdy Book Club!

I also remember some of you groaning in disbelief when I asked you to read 40 books this year. There was actual fear in some of your eyes as you tried to imagine yourselves reading so many books. Slowly, you built your reading stamina and were groaning when reading time was over. It made me smile every time I heard you recommend books to each other or talk about a great part of the book you were reading. Every time I brought new books into the classroom it was like a feeding frenzy. I watched each of you find your favorites. Whether it was: the Amulet series, Origami Yoda books, Out of My Mind, Drama, Dork Diaries, Capture the Flag, Wonder, RULES, A Dog Called Homeless, One for The Murphys or another favorite, you all found books that you liked best. Pretty soon you stopped asking me for recommendations and started asking each other.

My wish for you is that you continue to be readers. Reading is not something you do just for school, but a lifelong activity. I truly feel that reading makes life better. I wish you the best of luck next year and in years to come. If you ever need a book recommendation, you know where to find me.