Animal stories. Oh my gosh, don't get me started
on what a blubbering fool I become when I
read animal stories. This week's Pick was
no exception, although there's a lot of sweetness
mixed in with the sadness.
Ivan is a gorilla who lives at the mall. He's
a spectacle. Not only do people come to stare
at him, but they also fork over cash for his
drawings.
Ivan—who narrates this book in short, poetry-like
sections—doesn't call himself exploited.
That would be too on-the-nose for this lyrical story
about what it means to be a living, feeling
being with a need for connection, even purpose.
But any animal-loving reader will recognize
the cruelty of Ivan's situation and await
his sort-of liberation. The fact that this
liberation comes as Ivan reaches outside himself
to help another, brings a welcome humanity
to this animal tale.
Though we can never know what goes on inside
an animal's head, this book had me believing
in Ivan and in what he was thinking and feeling. More
significantly, it reminded me of the preciousness
of every aspect of creation. Who knows what
hidden beauty lies within each creature. Ivan
reminds readers that it's up to us to find
that beauty, and then, to protect it.
