Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla is the story of how a young gorilla is taken from the wild and made to live in a 14x14 foot enclosure in a shopping mall for much of his life, until activists and concerned citizens advocate and raise enough awareness for him to be rescued and sent to a zoo to spend the rest of his life. The story describes Ivan's life living with a large family of western lowland gorillas in a tropical forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It describes how he was taken by poachers, along with another baby gorilla (who doesn't survive), and shipped to Tacoma, Washington. He lived almost like a human child for a few years, living in the home of a pet shop owner, until he became too big. Ivan is forced to live in a cage for 27 years until finally, with the help of activists and the local zoo, Ivan is moved to his final home in the Atlanta Zoo where he can finally be with other gorillas in a suitable habitat. This book contains factual information about Ivan's story, although some elements may be embellished or enhanced for the sake of the story. At the end of the book the author describes the true story in detail and provides references on where more information could be found. While the story has a happy ending, some children may be upset when baby Ivan is taken from his family, or made to live in confinement. This would be a good time to have a conversation about animal needs and rights. There is great information, including video and pictures of Ivan, on the Atlanta Zoo's webpage. GorillaFund.org and NationalGeographic.org are also great resources for learning more about gorillas. For older children, Katherine Applegate also wrote a somewhat more fictionalized tale called The One and Only Ivan written from Ivan's perspective that I would highly recommend. Other books readers might enjoy are A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz or Galapagos George by Jean Craighead George. Age Range: 4 - 7 years Publisher: Clarion Books; First Edition edition Publication Date: October 7, 2014 Lexile Reading Level: AD680L Accelerated Reader book level: 3.7 AR Points: 0.5 Awards:
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