So, what did you guys think of the first book? Did you like it? I wasn't sure at first, but before I knew it I was halfway through and fully invested in Ivan, Bob, Stella and Ruby. The animals' situation tugged at my heartstrings, but I was grateful that Max wasn't really that evil of a villain (he used the claw stick what, once? and got a lot more pain in return!) and you had hope that somehow they would end up in a better place.
I thought it was interesting for Ivan to explain that a good zoo is how humans make amends (pg 64). Do you guys agree with that? My first thought was, no, just leave them in the wild to begin with - then you don't need to make amends. Also, I don't think we could ever completely make amends, but only merely try. I guess if zoos were only places of refuge for rescue animals - like Ruby and Ivan - then Ivan has a point. However, aren't plenty of animals brought straight from the wild into zoos? I guess I don't know for sure, but I don't think there's enough circuses and deranged ex-wild-pet-owners to fill zoos. Where would the hyenas come from if that were the case? I guess babies born into captivity make up a decent percentage of zoo population too...I don't know, I'm not really that passionate about animal rights, and I definitely don't think zoos these days are cruel, particularly as an alternative to other forms of captivity, but I think that humans would best make amends by leaving wild animals be and letting them live in their natural habitat. What do you guys think?
Another passage I marked as I read was this: "Human babies are an ugly lot. But their eyes are like our babies' eyes. Too big for their faces, and for the world." (pg 140). This sounded profound when I read it, so I marked it, but now that I think about it I can't really make heads or tails of what the author is trying to get it. Eyes too big for the world? What do you think she means?
I loved how this story progressed - the development, climax and resolution. I loved the scene where Julia is about to give up on Ivan's picture puzzle and he gives his mighty silverback roar. Despite the simplistic writing style, I was right there with Ivan emotionally, willing Julia to figure it out, to find the "M" in "HOME," to see the message that he was desperate to convey. I felt his despair turn to triumph as she pieced it together in the middle of the sawdust ring and again as she convinced her dad to hang it from the billboard. I felt Ivan's angst and trepidation as he prepared to leave a lesser, but known and familiar existence, for a better but different and unknown place. I felt Ivan's joy at seeing apes on a screen (without commercials or narrators!) and then in person, and an even greater joy at seeing Ruby on the screen in her new habitat, and again from the tree. Maybe it was because of, not despite, the simplistic writing style, the seemingly simple characters, that the author was able to pull us in emotionally. Were you pulled in like I was? I'm also glad that the author provided a means for Ivan (and therefore me
through Ivan's eyes) to get closure at the end about all of his friends, from Ruby
to Bob to Julia.
Despite my doubt that good zoos are by any means adequate amends for pulling a creature from its wild habitat, I was thrilled to find Ivan and Ruby in a zoo by the end of the book, with animals of their own species to love and interact with. Both simple and complex, depending on how you peel back the layers, I loved this book and wholly endorse its Newbery award.
Now tell us your thoughts!
