By: Katherine Applegate, 朱逸茜(translator)
Originally Published in: United States
Format: Hardcover
Language: Simplified Chinese
Pages per book: 44
Lines per page: 1-6
Audio book: read by Luka
Ivan The Remarkable True Story of The Shopping Mall Gorilla 独一无二的伊凡 (dú yī wú èr de yī fán) is an extraordinary story of a silverback gorilla who was captured as a baby in Africa, and transported to Tacoma, WA where he lived with a human family for 3 years.
When he grew too big, he was moved to a cage inside a strip mall. In his cage, he watched TV, played with a tire, and painted. Mostly, he enjoyed watching the people. Eventually, people began to feel concerned for Ivan & angry about his cage. They wrote letters, organized protests, and signed petitions until he was ultimately moved to Zoo Atlanta. It was not the jungle, but it was outside where he could feel the breeze and he could be taken care of by experts. People were so happy to finally see him in a place with trees, grass, other gorillas & a better quality of life.
Young children empathize with Ivan & are fascinated by his story. Use this story to discuss respect for wildlife, endangered species, or the impact of social activism.
If you take your child to Zoo Atlanta in the United States, do take her to look for the statue of Ivan, the remarkable Gorilla.
Is my child ready for this set?
"Read to me": Ages 4+ will enjoy having these books read to them either by Luka or a caregiver.
"Read by myself": The limited text per page and the prevalence of common language from daily life make it a good "bridge book" for readers. The involved plot and detailed illustrations will capture the interest of experienced readers, ages 6+.
Option to pair with Luka:
Consider adding Luka, the reading robot, to your order. Luka reads all Chinese books included in this collection.
Set Luka in front of a book, and it will read aloud any page your child turns to-- creating a unique, independent physical book reading experience even if your child isn't ready to read by herself. Click to read our founders' personal review of Luka here.
Happy learning!