By Katherine Applegate
4RBooks: 5/6, grades 4-7
Amazon rating: 4.8/5, grade level 3-7
Good Reads: 4.20/5
Common Sense Media: 5/5, ages 10+
255 pages
Synopsis:
Ivan is enjoying his new life at the gorilla villa in the zoo with his wife Kinyani and getting frequent visits from his friends Bob, Ruby, and Julia. Ruby has a new friend, Bitsy, who loves visiting Ivan too. All is calm and peaceful until Ivan learns he is going to be a dad, a dad of twins.
While Ivan is excited about becoming a father, he is also very worried about what it means to be a dad, and how to handle two children at the same time. He has many discussions with Bob and Ruby who reassure him that he will be a great dad.
Tuma and Raji are born and love to play with their dad. Ivan loves them too but gets overwhelmed with their questions. How much should he tell them about his past, and about their future. Other gorillas return to the villa and Ivan has even more responsibility as the silverback of the group.
They soon learn that a movie is being made about their lives. This will bring even more people to the enclosure and more people watching their every move. Ivan must do his best to raise his twins with the help of his wife, his friends, and the kind humans who watch over them.
Parental Guidance: low
In flashback, Ivan remembers the death of his parents, his capture by poachers, and the death of his sister. He also reflects on his time living with humans and being the entertainment in a cage at the mall.
A child falls into the gorilla enclosure and his arm is grabbed by another gorilla. A gun is pointed at the gorilla before Ivan talks him down.
Recommendation:
I’m not sure this book will be appreciated unless the first book of the series, The One and Only Ivan, is read first. The other two books are not as necessary to understanding the story in this novel.
I can imagine this being a great read aloud between fathers and their children as the dad’s should be able to relate to Ivan’s concerns about raising children and the responsibility of loving them and protecting them. This could open some great dialogue for them with their children. The twins have unique personalities, one more thoughtful, the other more rambunctious which parents of more than one child will appreciate.
The interaction between the apes and the humans is told with understanding from both sides. On one hand, the humans killed Ivan’s parents and entrapped him in a cage for many years. He’s still trapped years later and must someday explain to his children why they will never live in Africa either. On the other hand, his home is fun and safe, he is well fed, and when Kinyani and Tuma get sick, the vets take care of them and help them get well.
The four book series I would recommend for any school or classroom library. They have dark and bittersweet moments, but there is always a happy ending.
