“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” – Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan Ivan is a gorilla, and, as he lets us know pretty early on in the story, it’s not as easy as it looks. He has been living in a metal, glass, and concrete cage for 9,861 days. He has not seen another gorilla in decades. And, he has a past he would rather forget. Ivan’s only friends are Stella, a wise old elephant with a passion for stories and a love of the moon; Bob, a stray mutt, with a love of anything edible and a deep distrust of humans; and Julia, the janitor’s daughter, with a passion for art, just like Ivan. Ivan tries to ignore the way Mack, the owner of the mall and the man who raised Ivan in his own home, treats them all. Especially when a new baby elephant arrives to bring more crowds to the shopping mall and its small circus. When tragedy strikes and Ivan is left with a promise that will be impossible to keep, he begins to remember everything, and with his memories comes hope that maybe, there is a safer place beyond the bars of his cage, beyond Mack, beyond the billboard that brings people to the mall… beyond his wildest dreams. He made a promise, and a silverback never breaks their promises. But it will take all his friends to get there. It will take perseverance, passion, and… paint. Lots and lots of paints. This story is so well crafted, and every word seems to matter. It is such a reflection of the longing for freedom, with beautiful descriptions and clever lines that will instantly become your new favorite quotes. The novel is written entirely in verse, which only heightens the experience. This is a truly life-changing book. It is entrancing, magical. It is a must-read for everyone, young and old. So, as Ivan says, “Humans waste words. They toss them like banana peels and leave them to rot. Everyone knows the peels are the best part.” So, without further ado, and without wasting any more words, I give you the verdict. (You probably already knew where this was heading, but….) Take It … Or Toss It? TAKE IT!! This book, winner of the John Newbery award in 2013, is a must-read for kids of all ages, young and old, children and adults alike. Take Ivan’s advice: Don’t waste words. Or, in this case, time! Put The One and Only Ivan at the top of your reading list and find your next favorite book! And, if you love this, be sure to check out Katherine Applegate’s other books! The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. HarperCollins, 2012. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
“I, Pencil”: Diving Into Leonard E. Read’s Stunning Masterpiece
What could one essay, written in 1946, have anything to do with the present day? With me? With… you? I don’t—in fact, I couldn’t have—known Mr. Leonard E. Read personally. But that feeling of wonder, that unquenchable longing for something miraculous, the very thing that drives artists and writers on their quest for something beautiful, he knew. He understood. So he took something that human beings overlook. Something people glance at and think, “I’ve seen millions. It’s not exactly beautiful. It’s not expensive. In fact, there are billions of them scattered across the planet. Why should I gaze upon the common pencil with wonder?” And Leonard Read gave us a gift. A gift to quench the unquenchable. A gift to open our eyes to see the beauty in the simple things around us, the thing we overlook everyday of our lives. The things we don’t appreciate. So… what makes a pencil so extraordinary? It is not the shiny lacquered surface, the pink eraser, the ferrule. It is not exquisite. It is not breathtakingly beautiful. It is extraordinary because a pencil is more than purpose. It is more than outward appearance. It is symbolic of the beauty that human beings can create, without even knowing what they are doing! It is a symbol of human collaboration. It is something indispensable that millions help to create. Bits and pieces of a pencil come from all corners of the globe, people that don’t speak the same languages, don’t believe in the same ideals or religions, they are unknowingly united behind an item that will serve the multitudes. And that, friends, is the beauty of a pencil. Leonard E. Read wanted human beings to collaborate. He wanted us to see the profits of unity, how prosperous we become when we are working together. He wanted us to see the fruits of our labor, the beauty of collaboration. We don’t need a boss or an overseer. The government doesn’t have to control every interaction. We can join forces to create something indispensable because UNITY is indispensable. We all can become artists. We create only one piece of a world-wide puzzle. Leonard E. Read wanted us to see the beauty of spontaneous order. How, joined together, we can create something beautiful.
