The One and Only Ivan

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate  305 pp.

I love this book! I can't say that about all Newbery Award winners. Applegate was inspired by the true story of Ivan, a gorilla who lived most of his life in a shoddy "circus mall" but now resides in the Atlanta Zoo. The story is told by the fictional Ivan, a gentle, intelligent silverback (mature male) gorilla who has lived in the mall since he was a juvenile. He has two animal friends in an elderly elephant named Stella and a small stray dog named Bob. Ivan is also an artist who creates drawings (mostly bananas) with crayon that are sold in the mall gift shop. When business begins to decline Mack, the not-so-nice owner brings in a baby elephant named Ruby to draw more crowds. Stella, the old elephant, does her best to care for the new baby but she is sickly and doesn't want Ruby to end up spending her life in the dreary existence she herself has experienced. Ivan has human friends in George, the caretaker, and his young daughter Julia, also a budding artist. Julia gives Ivan art supplies that lets him expand his work into markers and fingerpaint. Ivan uses his art to fulfill his promise to Stella that he would find a way to get Ruby away from the mall and back with other elephants. Applegate has written a book where you care about all the characters, even Mack the mall owner. Ivan is given a voice that seems believable and, as I read, I couldn't help but think of Robert, the big Orangutan at the St. Louis Zoo who remembers his frequent visitors and will place his palm against the glass to greet them.This just might be a book club selection for next year.

The one and only Ivan

The one and only Ivan by Katherine Applegate 305 pgs.

Oh my gosh, Ivan certainly is a one and only.  A compassionate, smart, sensitive, artist who is also a mall attraction. He is a gorilla and that is not as easy as it looks.    This beautifully done Newbery Medal winner is a little hard to read at times.  Many serious themes and some painful topics but very worth your time.

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The One and Only Ivan

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, 305 pages.

Winner of the 2012 Newbery Medal, this is a sweet, wonderful book about a gorilla. Ivan has to overcome his resignation to a life in a cut-rate roadside zoo, and confront some long-repressed, painful memories, in order to save a young friend. He has to use all talent and his ingenuity in order to even have a chance. And he has to risk all he knows in order to do this. There is a good deal of sadness in this book, and it might not be the best thing for the very young, but it is a beautiful story and reconfirms my faith in the Newbery. Ivan is a great character.
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Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen

Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen, 587 pages.

Science writer Quammen, author of 2003's excellent Monster of God: The Man-Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the Mind, presents a well-researched, well-written, and decidedly even account of several serious, and sometimes deadly diseases that have made the leap from animal hosts to humans. From viral diseases like Hendra, Marburg, Ebola, AIDs, and influenza, to bacterial diseases such as Lyme, Q-fever, and Psittacosis, to the plasmodium parasites that cause the various types of malaria, Quammen traces significant outbreaks of the diseases in humans, and sifting through the written records and interviews with the researchers who were in the field, he recounts the backtracking of the disease to its animal host. Quammen patiently explains how doctors, veterinarians, and microbiologists attempt to unravel the mysteries surrounding outbreaks around the globe. He explains the basics of virology, and touches on the basics of bacteriology. And he shows his readers the difference between a reservoir host and a species that is also experiencing an outbreak infection. Those that are reservoir hosts "carries the pathogen, harbors it chronically, while suffering little of no illness." Other animal hosts, suspected of being reservoirs, are often proved not to be so by their absence. Gorillas were suspected as a reservoir for Ebola, but their complete disappearance and suspected die-off prove that they were victims as well. Butchering the meat of an animal (specifically monkees, chimps, or gorillas) is, however, the suspected mode of initial transmission of both Ebola and HIV. A fascinating book told in a conversational and accessible style. I look forward to reading Quammen's classic Song of the Dodo.

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