The Horn Book Guide

SCIENCE

Applegate, Katherine

Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla

40 pp. | Clarion | October, 2014 | Trade ISBN 978-0-544-25230-1 $17.99

(2) K-3 Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Applegate introduces picture-book readers to the true story that inspired her Newbery-winning The One and Only Ivan. In poetic prose she describes gorilla Ivan's early life in Africa; his dramatic capture; his time on display in a shopping mall; and his transition to the Atlanta Zoo. Karas's mixed-media illustrations--in his warm and unaffected style--are at once straightforward and provocative.

Reviewer: Nina Lindsay | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2014