The One and Only Ivan

The One and Only Ivan is a 2012 children's novel by Katherine Applegate, illustrated by Patricia Castelao. It is inspired by the true story of Ivan, a western lowland silverback gorilla captured as an infant in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, brought to the United States and kept for roughly 27 years at a shopping mall in Tacoma, Washington, in a small enclosure and as a commercial attraction. His situation drew growing public attention and advocacy from animal rights organizations in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1994, after a sustained campaign by activists, he was transferred to Zoo Atlanta, where he lived among other gorillas until his death in 2012 during a medical procedure.

The novel is narrated in the first person by Ivan himself, from his enclosure at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall. After almost three decades there, he is generally content: he watches television, eats bananas and paints pictures that the owner sells. He shares the space with Stella, an aging elephant with a chronic leg injury who performs in the daily shows and longs to live in a zoo, and with Bob, a stray dog. The arrival of Ruby, a baby elephant, changes things. The mistreatment she suffers at the hands of the owner, Mack, and Stella's death push Ivan to reconsider his place in the world and to recall his life before captivity. Having promised Stella he will find Ruby a better home, he uses his art to call for change, with the help of Julia, the custodian's daughter. Public outcry eventually leads to the mall's closure and the relocation of the animals.

The book won the Newbery Medal in 2013. Its defining feature is animal focalization: Ivan has human language and inner life, yet the story stays grounded in the physical realities of his captivity, inviting young readers to identify with him and to question the ethics of entertainment that depends on confining animals. Critics praised its spare, observant prose and its ability to build empathy without sentimentality. It has been followed by three sequels, The One and Only Bob (2020), The One and Only Ruby (2023) and The One and Only Family (2024), and a Disney+ film adaptation released in 2020.