The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate

The 'voice' of Ivan as lingered with me for over 12 years since I first read The One and Only Ivan. I remember how shocked I was to discover that this story was based on a true story of a young gorilla captured in Africa, taken to America and eventually kept in a shopping mall as a curiosity.

By now Ivan has been living in a wildlife sanctuary although at the beginning of the book the only gorillas are Ivan and mate Kinyani. The other members of the troop will return but for now they have been moved while the gorilla enclosure is renovated. Kinyani seems to be putting on weight. Then their keepers give Kinyani and Ivan some toy dolls. Have you guessed - yes Ivan is about to become a dad. And if you have read the series you will know Ivan himself was a twin. Sadly his sister Tag died when the pair were first bought to the US but when this part of the story is mentioned in as a recap I was certain twins were on their way.

The aspect of this book that I truly appreciated is the way Katherine Applegate is able to, in just a few words, help the reader recall parts of the plot from the previous books. The School Library Journal reviewer agrees. 

Here are some text quotes to remind you of the way Katherine Applegate tells these stories:

"There was a time when I never dreamed I'd grow up to be a father. There was a time when I never dreamed I'd grow up to be a silverback. There was a time when I never dreamed I'd grow up at all. But the years passed and here I am. When time tells a story, surprises are the one thing you can count on."

"Though I was born in the wild, I've spent most of my life in the company of humans. The older I get the more I realise how much this has affected me. I am a gorilla, yes. But I am also something more. Or perhaps I am something less. ... But I spent almost three decades without seeing another gorilla. I lacked an instruction manual for how to be me."

"It's a baby. It's an infant gorilla. It's a son. It's my son. I let out a noise. I don't know quite what it is or what it means, but it feels like it's coming from somewhere deep inside me. ... I fall back on my rump. I stop breathing. Please, don't let me pass out. Kinyani nods, as if to say, surprise. There in the vet's arms is a second baby gorilla. A girl. Squirming and skinny and beautiful."

This newest book does not disappoint. I read the whole story in one sitting (254 pages). 

"A wonderful farewell tour for these endearing characters and the themes that they have come to embody so well: adversity, resilience, and hope." — Horn Book Magazine

This is a satisfying send off, and readers will want to reread the whole series to share the laughs and the tears surrounding this memorable band of buddies one more time. A must-read celebration of family, natural and found.  Booklist

The One and Only Family is the fourth and final book in the series that began with The One and Only Ivan winner of the Newbery Medal. The One and Only Ivan (2012); The One and Only Bob (2020); The One and Only Ruby (2023); The One and Only Family (2024). I do have to say I really prefer the original US covers.

The One and Only Ivan

When I wrote about this book I said: Books should make us feel things. Being sad is a real emotion and not one we should shy away from or avoid.  Ivan is a hero in the true sense of the word. 

He has wise words to share. At times this book feels like a verse novel.

Ivan

The One and Only Bob

The One and Only Ruby

How to Move a Zoo by Kate Simpson illustrated by Owen Swan

Luckily I arrived at the school library where I volunteer in time to 'listen in' to the Teacher-Librarian sharing this new Australian book with a Grade Two class. It was a wonderful lesson where the Teacher-Librarian wove an intriguing story of how Jessie the elephant, in 1916, was moved from the zoo at Moore Park over to our famous Taronga Zoo on the other side of the harbour. The old zoo was too small and often subject to flooding. In total, 228 mammals, 552 birds and 64 reptiles were moved from Moore Park to the new site.

Here are some issues to consider:

• You are moving an elephant - they are heavy, slow and this one is fairly old (she arrived in Sydney in 1883 aged 8). She died in 1939.
• For the first part of the journey, Jessie will need to navigate busy city streets. How do you ensure her safety and the safety of the people who live in the city?
• The Sydney Harbour Bridge was built in 1932 many years after this move so there is no bridge over the harbour
• How can you transport a 4 ton elephant across a large stretch of water?
• The alternate route, avoiding the harbour crossing, would be a very long journey over five separate bridges

The end papers in this book show all the other animals traveling in cars and trucks - mostly in cages but they had to make a different plan for Jessie. She would walk to the harbour foreshore and then step onto a steamer boat. 

"Jessie stood as still as a statue across the harbour."

But moving from the boat to the shore meant Jessie had to step onto a pontoon. The library group where I heard this story are familiar with these as our inner harbour ferries stop at pontoons. Because they float on the water this one dipped with Jessie's weight but she bravely stepped across it and onto the shore. Jessie had reached the new zoo.

This is a perfect book to share with a class for so many reasons. It is a true story and young readers always respond well to these. The hero of the story is a huge elephant but it is also a story about problem solving. This book would also fit into any class unit about the history of Sydney and also a mapping topic because there is a splendid old map which is placed across a double spread. You could also share this book as part of a family history topic. I well remember visiting Taronga zoo with my grandparents. The photo I have shows everyone very dressed up for this special outing. The zoo opened in 1916 and my dad was born in 1923. He lived in Neutral Bay not very far from the zoo - I wonder if he ever saw Jessie?

With a group of older students you could also explore issues of animals in captivity and cruelty. In the past zoo visitors paid "a penny a turn (to) ride in a special saddle called a howah on Jessie's back as she walked in a slow circuit with the zoo grounds."

Read this interview with Kate Simpson (teachers note it has a terrific idea for a school excursion). I do expect to see this book listed as a CBCA Eve Pownall (Non Fiction) Notable and hopefully also a shortlisted title for 2025. Now for the library dilemma - where will you shelve this book? Yes it is a picture book but it is a true story. It is about elephants so it could go over to 599.6 but it is about Australian history so it could be 994.4 or perhaps it is about animals in captivity 636.967. Whatever you decide this book should be added to all Australian school library collections. 

... this beautifully illustrated narrative non fiction version is the perfect starting point for not only learning about that remarkable cross-city journey, but also delving more deeply into these fascinating creatures whose future is uncertain.  The Bottom Shelf

Background reading:

• Museums of Sydney
• Photos of Jessie
• Why the zoo needed to move
• Nine News scroll through photos of Jessie and other animals at the zoo

I also read this from the Sydney Morning Herald:

• It took years of logistics to work out how to relocate 228 mammals, 552 birds and 64 reptiles from Sydney’s first zoo at Moore Park to the new bush zoo – promising nothing but air between visitor and animal – at Taronga Park in 1916.
• Back in 1916, zookeepers were worried about the risks of moving ferocious and strong creatures through city streets. Even six years ago, Taronga Zoo was challenged by the logistics of how to move its giraffes.
• Sydney’s zookeepers decided to risk it with Jessie. She was a placid creature, “a docile and peaceful pachyderm” said to be loved by the generations of Sydney children who had ridden on her howdah.
• The trip that had taken years to plan took a little over 90 minutes.
• "Taronga" is an Aboriginal word that means "beautiful view." 

Other historical books about elephants in zoos:

To find heaps more fabulous resources take a look at all of these splendid posts about elephants from my friend at Kinderbookswitheverything:

8th June International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos

12th August Elephant Day

12th August World Elephant Day

22nd September Elephant Appreciation Day

Other books illustrated by Owen Swan:

Here is the website for Kate Simpson. I loved her book about Gravity. 

The Secret Elephant by Ellan Rankin

Told as a first-person narrative, a young elephant named Shelia describes her life in Belfast zoo and the big change that happened when World War II began.

"At night, enormous machines flew in the air and dropped strange things on the city. Great bangs shook the ground and flashes of orange light burned across the sky. I couldn't see other animals through the smoke. I didn't understand what was happening or where the loud noises were coming from."

Luckily her keeper has a plan. The pair sneak out of the zoo each night and hide back at the keeper's own home. Very young readers will laugh to see Shelia drinking out of the toilet and dusting her skin with flour from an upturned canister. But of course, over the years Shelia keeps growing and eventually she is too big to stay inside. A neighbor reported seeing an elephant on the street and so young Shelia can no longer leave the zoo. Her keeper is not going to let the young elephant suffer and so every evening she went to the zoo and to sit in her enclosure. 

This book is based on a true story. During World War II the government in Belfast were worried a bomb would drop on the zoo and all the animals could escape endangering lives. They ordered some of the zoo animals to be killed. Denise Weston Austin was a keeper at the zoo. She rescued Shelia, a baby Asian elephant, and kept her at home during the war. Eventually someone discovered this and so Shelia had to stay at the zoo but during air raids, Denise would rub her ears and stay with her to keep her calm. Shelia survived for twenty-five years after the war. She died in 1966. Denise died in 1997. 

If you look closely you can see a tiny elephant beside her grave.

Read more here:

Belfast City

Belfast Telegraph

BBC Video (not suitable for young children)

Movie trailer - Zoo (2018)

The Secret Elephant is a new book published (Hachette Children's Books) in 2023 and it is available in both a hardcover and paperback edition. See inside this book here. 

Here are some books for much older readers that explore the care of animals in a zoo during wartimes.

An elephant in the Garden. 

When I read this book, I was sure it must have been based on a true story and 

now I read that true story is this on from Belfast zoo. 

When the Sky falls - for mature readers aged 10+

The Midnight Zoo for readers aged 12+

And for very young readers here is another book that looks at rescuing an elephant in a zoo.

Mrs Bibi's Elephant

When the Sky Falls by Phil Earle

All over Britain children are being evacuated to rural towns but not Joseph. His grandmother sends him to London to live with Mrs Farrelly. Mrs F comes from a family that owned and ran a zoo. Now that Hitler is sending bombs every night most of the zoo animals have either been sent away or sadly destroyed. The only animals still needing care are a couple of camels, some birds, two wolves and an old silverback gorilla named Adonis. 

Joseph feels rejected by everyone. His grandmother has sent him away.  His mother left when he was just five. His father has joined the army. School is hell. Joseph is regularly bullied and he simply cannot learn to read.  The words dance around on the page. 

Life in London takes on a new pattern. School is worse than ever but after school Joseph and a young orphan girl Syd help care for the remaining zoo animals cleaning their cages and scrounging food. Each evening when the bomb raid siren sounds, Mrs F heads to her zoo. Joseph is so distressed to discover she goes there to shoot Adonis. At first Adonis terrifies Joseph but over the weeks he comes to form a very special bond with this huge creature. Mrs F holds a gun during the bombing because she knows if the zoo is bombed and Adonis is set free everyone will be in danger. She does not want to shoot this noble creature but she might be forced to do this terrible thing. 

The young boy in this book is at times so astute about the emotions and motivations of others but he also totally misunderstands at crucial times and worse he never stops to think about his own reaction to events and others. I have never read a book filled with so much anger. I knew I was in safe hands or I hoped I was in safe hands with Phil Earle and that all of this would be resolved but the anger is so unrelenting in this story that at times I just had to put this book down. I think I almost held my breath for 257 pages of the 302 desperate for Joseph to open up to Mrs F. Desperate for Joseph to understand and accept the kindness of others. Hoping Joseph could rid himself of his terrible guilt and sense of worthlessness. 

Here are a few text quotes to give you a flavour of this writing:

"He had no idea why this woman had volunteered to take him in, or of the link that existed between them, but she clearly knew he had no mother; he saw it in her eyes. And her knowing bothered him."

"He didn't want to be here; in this room, this house, this city, but like everything in life, it seemed he had no choice in how it played out. At the same time, deep in his gut, he knew he was to blame."

"He didn't like the way she spoke, as if she knew exactly what was going on up there. And he certainly didn't like her talking about her dad. She didn't know him, about how Joseph missed him every day, not how angry he was that he hadn't been there when he really did need him."

"Today was different, for as Joseph crouched on his haunches facing Adonis, he felt the ape's fingers brush his. Joseph swallowed a gasp as a jolt of electricity ripped through him. It was thrilling."

"Joseph's heart rattled like a snare drum, then threatened to explode as Adonis patted his head gently, not with one hand, but with both. He felt tears spring into his eyes at the gentleness of the act, then fall down is cheeks as Adonis lifted his chin, resting Joseph's forehead against his own."

"Mrs F had no idea how to tell him, what words to use, or even how to think about calming him afterwards. How do you hold a boy together, when he was already broken? There were already too many pieces to manage, without dropping and damaging even more."

You can hear Phil Earle talking about his book. The publisher lists this book for 9+ but I think this is a book for an older reader 11+. Here is the US cover:

An unusual, moving war story with excellent writing and compelling characters. Kirkus

This is a beautifully written historical adventure story that will take readers on a very emotional and exciting journey. The pace is fast and the feelings run high. The reader ends up fighting for Joseph and Adonis all the way – and this book is almost impossible to put down. Book Trust

The deep anger and tense emotions in this book reminded me of The Night Bus hero.

We Found a Cat by Heidi McKinnon

Something arrives in a box. Look closely. The box says "this way up" and "beware".  The older sister is delighted. She is sure this is a cat but her little sister is not convinced. In fact little sister really can see the truth but her big sister has decided this is a cat and that is all she can see. Readers are sure to agree with and sympathise with the little sister and it does look like we are heading for a disaster.  

Using two voices is a delightful way to tell this warm, funny, and playful story. This is a great example of a picture book where the illustrations add a different dimension - you really have to 'read' them to get the whole joke. This book provides a perfect way to explore visual storytelling with young readers.  The page where the tiger “smothers” mum and dad is hilarious. The cross reference to the Cat in the Hat with the goldfish and the huge cat is one many adult readers will recognise. Of course, the ending, while it might not especially original, it matches perfectly with the fun of the previous pages.  And this book is sure to make you want to revisit an old classic - The Tiger who Came to Tea. 

The end papers, which bracket the book’s timeline, will give astute readers enough of a hint about the shared joke which is the basis of this book. I adore the ball of wool on the half title page and the way the same wool tangles over the title page. 

The matt, beige paper used in this book provides a perfect background to the art on each page and the restrained, almost retro palette, is very appealing. Using the younger child character as the ‘voice of reason’ is very affirming for all younger siblings. In this book so few words can say SO much.  

One of my favourite things to consider is the sharing of our Australian books across the world. We speak English and so our books can be shared in USA, Canada, New Zealand, UK and South Africa. We Found a Cat is such a splendid picture book and I think it is one that should be shared with children beyond our shores. Not because it contains an especially deep message but just because it is funny and because it is a perfect book to share with a preschool child who will enjoy being "in on the joke". 

If you love Elephant and Piggy and books with dialogue and confusion you will really enjoy We Found a Cat. And the art in this book is sure to remind you of illustrations by Jon Klassen. 

Square

Here is the web site for Heidi McKinnon.  You could pair this book with these:

Would you like a Banana?

This is a dog

Blue Badger

You're finally here!

Read more about Pat Hutchins

The Remarkable Pigeon by Dorien Brouwers

Pigeon can fly freely around the city.  One day he lands at the zoo. All of the birds at the zoo are in cages but pigeon can only marvel at their amazing qualities. Toucan has a beautiful beak; the ostriches have huge babies; hummingbirds can fly backwards; and flamingos can balance on one leg.

"The pigeon started to feel sad. It didn't seem to be very good at anything and it felt ... rather boring."

The pigeon looks at other birds - penguins, an owl, some colourful songbirds and a huge heron. Then the pigeon realises something we have known all along. He can fly! He can fly away! He can see the world and have adventures. 

At the back of this book there is a picture glossary with further details about each of the birds including the pigeon - he is actually quite a remarkable bird. This book has the BEST end papers - filled with a glorious collection of feathers in every colour of the rainbow. 

The idea of comparing yourself with others is not a new one and it is explored in other picture books but this one has the most beautiful illustrations so I do recommend you consider adding The Remarkable Pigeon to your school library collection. As a bonus the paperback version of this book is very reasonably priced at under $18. If you want to explore the topic of being true to yourself try to find If Only by Mies van Hout; Frog is Frog by Max Velthuijs; Feathers for Phoebe by Rod Clement and Be who You are by Todd Parr.

The art in The Remarkable Pigeon book is, as I have already said, very special. It reminds me of art by Ruth Brown. Take a look here to see inside this book. 

Here is the publisher blurb from Salariya: When a pigeon visits the aviary, he feels very inferior to all of the other species of birds he encounters, with their colourful plumage and magnificent wingspans. But eventually the pigeon realises that he has something the other birds don’t – his freedom! The Remarkable Pigeon is a thought-provoking and stunningly-illustrated picture book that will enchant children and teach them the importance of not always comparing oneself to others and appreciating what one has. The large format is perfect for allowing parent and child to read along together and speak about the story.

Dorien Bowers is a graphic designer. The Remarkable Pigeon is her first picture book. 

Over the last few years there have been some terrific picture book stories about pigeons - especially Gary which was short listed for the CBCA Early Childhood Book of the Year award in 2017. 

Gary

Dr Coo and the Pigeon Protest

Lofty's Mission

Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor by Patricia Valdez illustrated by Felicita Sala

"They gawked at the geckos. They peered at the pythons. 

And they marvelled at the monitors."

As a young child Joan Beauchamp Procter was fascinated by reptiles. Her curiosity about these, often strange creatures, led her to read lots of books and also to collect small lizards so she could observe them. 

She loved to visit the Natural History museum in London and eventually became an assistant to the curator and later she took over his duties. Enormous Komodo dragons were of special interest to Joan and she was invited to design an custom enclosure at the London Zoo for two Komodo dragons which were sent from Indonesia. In 1928 Joan presented a scientific paper about these curious creatures to the Zoological Society. This is significant firstly because of the topic; then because the paper was delivered by a woman when almost all of the scientific world was male; and thirdly we have a girl (now a woman) who is interested in reptiles - a topic not usually associated with women especially in the 1920s. While all of this is important, I do like the way none of this is sensationalised in this biography. Reading about a young girl who loves reptiles is presented in a natural, almost matter of fact way.

Image Source: Science.org

Publisher Blurb Andersen Press: Back in the days of long skirts and afternoon teas, young Joan Procter entertained the most unusual party guests: slithery and scaly ones, who turned over teacups and crawled past the crumpets... While other girls played with dolls, Joan preferred the company of reptiles. She carried her favourite lizard with her everywhere - she even brought a crocodile to school! When Joan grew older, she became the Curator of Reptiles at the Natural History Museum. She went on to design the Reptile House at the London Zoo, including a home for the rumoured-to-be-vicious komodo dragons. There, just like when she was a little girl, Joan hosted children's tea parties - with her komodo dragon as the guest of honour. With a lively text and vibrant illustrations, scientist and writer Patricia Valdez and illustrator Felicita Sala bring to life Joan Procter's inspiring story of passion and determination.

Read more about Komodo dragons on the National Geographic kids web site. And at the San Diego Zoo page. 

The library I visit each week has a fabulous comprehensive collection of picture book biographies for the youngest readers. Every time I borrow one of these books I discover people who have done such interesting things and people who I may never have found if it were not for these terrific books. In US schools the genre of biography is explicitly taught and so publishers have taken advantage of this and that is why so many very high quality picture book biographies have emerged in recent years. 

One word-inspirational. Joan found her passion at a young age and proved her worth as a woman scientist. This book follows her journey of finding her reptilian passion and demonstrating perseverance in her personal and professional journey. In this biography, the reader learns about a scientist who not only studies animals, but also diagnoses and treats them to their best health. Overall, a must add to your library and future read alouds for all readers. Latinxs in Kid Lit

You can see other books illustrated by Felicity Sala here. And here are some of the illustrations from this book too. Here is an interview with the author Patricia Valdez about the writing of this book.