When I first started reading this book, which is written from the view point of Ivan a gorilla, I was very curious and a little wary. Would it be a preachy "save the animals" book? (Not that I don't think we should save the animals, I just don't like preachy.) Also the "chapters" were very short, some less than a page.
There is not a lot of action; not too much adventure. But there are a lot of heartwarming relationships. Ivan was taken away from his home and family and spent most of his life with humans and locked in his "domain" at the Big Top Mall. His friends are Bob, a stray dog who sleeps on his stomach and licks leftovers off his chin, Stella, the elephant in the next cage, and Julia the daughter of the night custodian. He is an artist. And the main story is how he uses his art to save a baby elephant from a life of loneliness and 3 shows a day at the Big Top Mall.
By the end of the book I could see why this book was a winner. E. gave it 5 out of 5 stars too.
