The One and Only Ivan

Ivan is a silverback gorilla who has lived for twenty-seven years inside a cage at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. His domain is a concrete enclosure with a tire swing and a small TV. He shares the mall with Stella, an aging elephant, and Bob, a stray dog who sleeps on Ivan's belly. When a baby elephant named Ruby arrives and Stella makes Ivan promise to find Ruby a better life, Ivan rediscovers his gift for art and uses his paintings to expose the truth of their captivity — ultimately winning freedom for himself and Ruby at a real zoo.

Ivan is a silverback gorilla who narrates his own story from inside the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, a decaying roadside attraction somewhere along a highway. He has lived there for twenty-seven years, since he was captured as a baby in the wild. His owner, Mack, purchased him as a novelty,...