The One and Only Ivan

The One and Only Ivan is a 2012 novel written by Katherine Applegate and illustrated by Patricia Castelao, published by HarperCollins. It is based on the true story of a silverback gorilla who spent twenty-seven years living in a mall in Washington state, and it is written from the point of view of Ivan, a silverback gorilla who lives in an enclosure at a mall.

The novel was named the winner of the Newbery Medal in 2013 and was adapted into a Disney+ film in 2020. Three sequels followed: The One and Only Bob in 2020, The One and Only Ruby in 2023 and The One and Only Family in 2024. The source of the story is real: Ivan, a western lowland gorilla, was captured as an infant in the Democratic Republic of Congo and brought to the United States.

The book is narrated in the first person by the gorilla. Because Ivan's account is limited by what he has been allowed to know, the novel's argument about captivity is made through his attempts to understand his own situation, and the arrival of a young elephant is what forces him to try.