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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Book Reported: The One and Only Ivan



It's rare that I finish a book and think, I have to blog about this right now. The One and Only Ivan did that to me.

When I saw it released from Harper, I was immediately engaged. I know Ivan! Sure enough. When my husband and I moved to WA in the eighties, we happened upon a mall called B & I, on Tacoma Ave South. We pulled in and checked it out. I bought our second cat, Frodo, from there, in fact.



Walking through the mall, though, I knew I wouldn't come back. It felt like an airless block of concrete. There were no windows, no skylights. And that's when I turned the corner and came face to face with Ivan, the Silverback gorilla.



Recovering from the shock of a gorilla in a mall, I felt sickened to see him in a 14 x 14 foot cement room behind glass. I could barely look at him, as shoppers streamed past, seemingly oblivious to the wrongness. We knew we wouldn't return to the mall. But Ivan remained.

When my husband delivered pizzas as he finished his college degree post military, it was a standard gag to give the newbie a pizza for Ivan at B & I. Some joke on the new delivery guy. I hated that Ivan was the butt of their tease.

What a joy when media attention finally arrived, and Ivan was released to a zoo in Atlanta, after twenty-seven years. And because of that freedom, Katherine Applegate in California had the start of her fictionalized novel.

Told from the point of view of Ivan the gorilla, I hesitated, fearing the work would read sweetly. It doesn't. Ivan's viewpoint traps you as you look out from his skin. Freedom, family, loss, and joy are captured in the journey of one gorilla's plight. Clean occasional illustrations by Patricia Castelao accompany the text, echoing the intense emotions in one more media.

I recommend The One and Only Ivan, out of my own nostalgia, but mostly for the beautiful writing and illustration, and the warning that we not repeat this mistake. Hopefully, on my next visit to Atlanta, I'll be able to see Ivan again. Albeit in a zoo, he will be outside. Well done, all who worked to free Ivan. Well done, Katherine Applegate for sharing Ivan's story.

The One and Only Ivan
by Katherine Applegate
illustrations by Patricia Castelao
Harper

Friday, January 27, 2012

Poetry Friday: Get Well

Poetry Friday was displaced last week by a tremendous snow and ice storm. But today, all is clear. It's good to be back!


On wide-ruled paper,
yellow arms stretch to heal my heart,
a sunny band-aid.


Lorie Ann Grover, 2012
Art by Elizabeth, Ellie, and Isla.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Poetry Friday: In the Gust


In the Gust

Brittle leaves whirl down,
black birds take wing, flapping up,
rising through the fall.


haiku and art by Lorie Ann Grover, 2012

Friday, January 6, 2012

Poetry Friday: Light


Light

You hold tight to watch
fireworks spark darkness when
you are my sparkler.


Lorie Ann Grover, 2012