“Ivan: The Remarkable True Tale of the Shopping Mall Gorilla”

Ivan: The Remarkable True Tale of the Shopping Mall Gorilla, written by Katherine Applegate and illustrated by G. Brian is about a gorilla named Ivan who had been in captive for over 20 years. Ivan was stolen from his home at 6 months old and shipped to a pet shop owner in Washington. Eventually he grew too big to be left in a house and was moved to a cement room in a shopping mall, where he stayed for over 20 years. Over some time, people started becoming aware of how he was being mistreated and started protesting. Luckily, Ivan was then moved to a zoo where he could be social with other gorillas. I think the message was to bring awareness to the animals that aren’t being treated as they should. Personally, I found this story to be really sad. I really didn’t like how people left him in solitude, because most animals need to be able to socialize with others, as well as being in a habitat that suits them. Although this issue is still happening around the world, I truly hope that those animals will eventually be free.