Recommended Reading: Featured Reading

Ivan: The Remarkable True story of a Shopping Mall Gorilla

Category: Elementary Non-Fiction, Featured Reading, Picture Books

By Katherine Applegate & G. Brian Karas, 2014

Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla by Katherine Applegate chronicles the true story of Ivan, a silverback gorilla who was captured as a baby and placed in a shopping mall. For twenty-seven years, Ivan spent all his days in captivity inside the mall. It wasn’t until concerned citizens began to work together to speak up for Ivan that he was eventually transferred to an animal sanctuary where he spent his final years. This book is a great resource to introduce the ideas of captivity, wildlife conservation, and how actions of a community can make a difference. Students will begin to critically think about how the actions…

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What Pet Should I Get?

Category: Featured Reading, Picture Books

By Dr. Seuss, 2015

There’s something about a Dr. Seuss book that is special. Maybe it’s the whimsical creatures, maybe it’s the rhyming pattern; whatever it might be, it’s undeniable that Dr. Seuss has written some of the most memorable children’s books ever. In 2013, years after he passed, his wife Audrey, found a box containing materials for various projects in his studios. Among the contents in the box were the manuscript and finished line art for what would become What Pet Should I Get? What Pet Should I Get? captures a timeless childhood moment of choosing a pet. It follows two school aged siblings as they try and decided on what pet best…