The One and Only Ivan 1/4

Summary p1-75, discussion questions, creating a domain, writing prompt

Hello reader! So glad to have you here. I hope you are enjoying this book. This post is designed to help you engage with the book so you can bring your own thoughts and imagination into the story. Each post offers questions to think or talk about, a project that combines imagination and intelligence, and a creative writing prompt to inspire stories while learning all along the way!

Have fun and create!

Summary

Like so many works of fiction, this novel was based on a true story. The real Ivan was born in Africa and brought to the US where he spent 27 years completely alone in a cage in a circus themed mall. After people spoke out against this treatment and children sent many letters, Ivan was relocated to a zoo in Atlanta where we lived the rest of his life in a more wild habitat. This story by Applegate is an attempt to imagine what the original Ivan thought and felt during that time of isolation and intense captivity.

If you have kids who have memories of quarantine during the 2020 pandemic and feel comfortable talking about it, this book can be a pathway into discussions about their experience. And can offer more emotional context for understanding some of the animals in this novel.

The real Ivan