The One and Only Ivan - what does this mean?

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a house with a swimming pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure if this is the best place to put this, but please settle this hot family debate.

For those who don't know, it's a kid's book and the main character is a gorilla named Ivan who lives in a little circus in the mall. He observes humans shopping at the mall. He says "They pass their green paper, dry as old leaves and smelling of a thousand hands, back and forth and back again." This is dollar bills, right?

He says, "They spin pink clouds you can eat." So that is cotton candy....

But what is THIS:
"They build domains with flat waterfalls."

What do you think?

Paintings of waterfalls. Ivan lives in a cage with painted waterfalls on the walls. Great book BTW.

Yup, and it has flowers without scents and tress without roots. The picture of the jungle -- as opposed to the real thing -- is clearly doing nothing for him.

[Anonymous]

I agree that it’s a picture of a waterfall.

We also read applegate’s book about a tree- I can’t think of the name of it, but I was sobbing at the end. It so, so good.

[Anonymous]

Windows.

If it was swimming pools then he’d know it as a pond or lake.

[Anonymous]

i think them mean a wall because they say a flat waterfall

[Anonymous]

Is this a sad book?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have too much time on your hands.

God forbid someone is curious and seeks answers.

I hope you don’t shut down your kids like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have too much time on your hands.

+1 Bahahahahah! You win the Internet.

[Anonymous]

IMO -- It's a painted waterfall on the scenery panted at the mall / zoo. To make it look like a jungle. To Ivan, it's like, what's the point of that?

I love that series. I read it with my kids a few years ago.

[Anonymous]

Bathtub. Faucet. Swimming pool.

[Anonymous]

Toilet? When you flush, you get a flat waterfall?

[Anonymous]

That book is DEPRESSING.

[Anonymous]

Omg ppl guessing skyscrapers and toilets. Don’t answer if you never read the book!

The answer was explained pages ago — it’s a jungle mural painted in his cage. A painting of a waterfall.

And yes, it is a very sad book. Heartbreaking. And based on a real story too.

[Anonymous]

Anyone else remember those square water features at fair oaks mall in the 90s that occasionally someone would sit on not realizing it was very smooth flowing water and not shiny rock?

Those were my first thought

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure if this is the best place to put this, but please settle this hot family debate.

For those who don't know, it's a kid's book and the main character is a gorilla named Ivan who lives in a little circus in the mall. He observes humans shopping at the mall. He says "They pass their green paper, dry as old leaves and smelling of a thousand hands, back and forth and back again." This is dollar bills, right?

He says, "They spin pink clouds you can eat." So that is cotton candy....

But what is THIS:
"They build domains with flat waterfalls."

What do you think?

Paintings of waterfalls. Ivan lives in a cage with painted waterfalls on the walls. Great book BTW.

Actually, I think the PP from the first page had it right. I think it's windows. They built a habitat with glass floor to ceiling windows for the patrons to observe the animals, so he looks out the windows back at the patrons.