Ivan, The Shopping Mall Gorilla

Award winning author, Katherine Applegate, tells the story of Ivan, a western lowland gorilla. Ivan lived alone in a shopping mall’s concrete enclosure for twenty-seven years. Her book, Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla is beautifully written and illustrated.

Ivan was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (known then as the Belgian Congo) in 1962. Poachers captured Ivan when he was about six months old. He and a young female gorilla were  sent to the U.S. in 1964. At first, Ivan and the female gorilla, named Burma, lived with a family in Tacoma, Washington. Soon, Burma died of pneumonia.

When Ivan grew too large to handle, he was moved to the shopping mall. He lived in an enclosure at the B&I Circus Store near a few other wild animals. Ivan, the only gorilla, became B&I’s most popular attraction.

Ivan could not interact with other gorillas. He did not have a natural habitat to live and play in. Ivan only had a tire swing, a TV, and a window to watch the visitors staring back at him. Ivan lived this way for twenty-seven years. Until…

…a National Geographic documentary titled The Urban Gorilla showed how Ivan lived. That’s when a change began. People stood up. They protested the conditions that Ivan lived in. They talked to the media. They wrote letters to government officials. And it worked — along with the bankruptcy of the B&I Circus Store.

Finally, Ivan had his freedom. He was moved to Zoo Atlanta in 1994, to a natural habitat with other gorillas. For the first time since he was moved to B&I, Ivan experienced the outdoors. It took him awhile to adjust to his new life. But when he did, Ivan loved to play with the female and younger gorillas there.

Ivan lived at Zoo Atlanta for eighteen years. He died in 2012, at  fifty years old, a long life for a gorilla.

Statue in Tacoma, Washington

Images of Ivan, Courtesy of Wiki Commons

If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author

You may like: Jane Goodall https://barbaralowell.com/jane-goodall

Visit: http://www.zooatlanta.org/ivan to learn more about Ivan.

Read the 1993 New York Times article about Ivan at: http://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/17/us/a-gorilla-sulks-in-a-mall-as-his-future-is-debated.html

Watch Ivan at the B&I Circus Store in the first video and at Zoo Atlanta in the second.

First in flight — a sheep, rooster, and a duck

First in flight — a sheep, a rooster, and a duck flew as the first passengers in a hot air balloon. Traveling a bit more than two miles, the balloon drifted along for eight minutes and reached a height of 1,500 feet. The three intrepid fliers were later found unharmed, but it is unknown if they asked for a second trip.

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The creators of the hot air balloon, French brothers Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier were amateur inventors who advanced human flight. After several experiments showing that hot air would lift envelopes of taffeta, a silky material, the brothers constructed a balloon that they believed would fly when air underneath was heated by burning straw and wool.

Before a crowd in the town of Annonay, on June 4, 1783, their balloon flew to a height of 3,000 feet and landed a mile and a half away. With the success of the flight, came a request from French King Louis XVI for a demonstration at his home, Versailles.

But a storm damaged the balloon, and the king insisted that the brothers make a new one — fast! Construction took four days and sleepless nights to complete.

Joseph and Etienne chose passengers for the flight — a sheep, similar to humans in physiology; a rooster, a flightless bird; and a duck as their control animal. Now they could test the effect of altitude on the sheep and rooster. The duck, of course, had no problem with altitude. 

On September 19, 1783, a sunny day in the Versailles gardens, King Louis, his wife Marie Antoinette, the American Ambassador, Benjamin Franklin, and a crowd of enthusiastic Parisians watched the animals float away in the balloon making history.

Now, Joseph and Etienne were ready to try a manned flight. On November 21, 1783, two daring men sailed off in the brothers’ balloon traveling twenty minutes over five miles. But it was a sheep, a rooster, and a duck, with the help of the Montgolfier Brothers, who first led the way to human flight.

The Montgolfier Brothers Balloon

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(KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA) London Science Museum

If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author

A Book for Kids:

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Hot Air: The Mostly True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride

By Marjorie Priceman

Hachiko, Faithful Dog

Hachiko, an Akita dog waited at the Shibuya Station in Tokyo, Japan, for his owner, Professor Hidesaburo Ueno, to return each day from the University of Tokyo. On May 21, 1925, Hachiko waited to greet the professor, but he did not return. He had died that day at work.

Hachiko, eighteen-months-old, lived now with new owners. But every day, he waited in the same spot at the Shibuya Station for Professor Ueno to arrive by train. He waited for over nine years.

In 1932, one of Professor Ueno’s former students, Hirokichi Saito, learned about Hachiko. He wrote articles about the dog’s loyalty to the professor. When a Tokyo newspaper published one article, Japanese children and adults read about the faithful dog. They brought him treats and petted him while he waited at the station.

In April 1934, Hachiko watched the unveiling of a statue erected at Shibuya Station — a statue of him. He died on March 8, 1935. His grave sits beside that of Professor Ueno. He is known in Japan as chuken Hachiko meaning faithful dog. On April 8th each year a ceremony is held at Shibuya Station to honor him.

2418101297_11ce2d321b_oHachiko’s statue at Shibuya Station, a favorite meeting spot

A second statue replaced the original one, melted down during WWII. The son of the original artist designed the statue that stands today. A third statue was dedicated at the University of Toyko on March 8, 2015, the 80th anniversary of Hachiko’s death. It shows Hachiko greeting Professor Ueno — together again.

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If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author

You may like: Balto Hero Dog https://barbaralowell.com/balto-hero-dog

Famous Fala, The President’s Dog https://barbaralowell.com/fala-the-presidents-dog

Books For Kids: 

Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog

By Pamela S. Turner, Illustrated by Yan Nascimbene

Hachiko Waits

By Leslea Newman, Illustrated by Machiyo Kodaira

Hachiko: The True Story of the Royal Dogs of Japan and One Faithful Akita

By Julie Chrystym

Images courtesy of Wiki Commons

 

 

Teddy Roosevelt’s Christmas Surprise

President Teddy Roosevelt, his wife Edith, and their six children celebrated their second Christmas morning in the White House. They opened stockings filled with presents. But no presents were tucked underneath a big, sparkling Christmas tree. There were no Christmas trees in the White House, or so the president thought.

The president’s eight-year-old son Archie had other ideas. He brought a small tree into the White House. He decorated it with presents and hid it in a closet. Archie revealed his big surprise on Christmas morning.

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Archie Roosevelt and his pony Algonquin

The president tells the story in a letter to a friend dated December 26, 1902:

“…Yesterday morning at a quarter of seven all the children were up and dressed and began to hammer at the door of their mother’s and my room, in which their six stockings… were hanging from the fireplace. So their mother and I got up, shut the window, lit the fire taking down the stockings of course, put on our wrappers and prepared to admit the children.

But first there was a surprise for me, also for their good mother, for Archie had a little birthday tree of his own which he had rigged up with the help of one of the carpenters in a big closet; and we all had to look at the tree and each of us got a present off of it. There was also one present each for Jack the dog, Tom Quartz the kitten, and Algonquin the pony, whom Archie would no more think of neglecting that I would neglect his brothers and sisters. Then all the children came into our bed and opened their stockings.”

Author Gary Hines imagines the story in full detail in his book,  A Christmas Tree in the White House. Archie enlists his younger brother Quentin’s help and the two raise the tree tied to a bed sheet to the second floor. Does the president know?

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Theodore Roosevelt with Archie and Quentin 

If you like this article, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author

The Teddy Roosevelt Family, https://www.whitehousehistory.org/photos/the-theodore-roosevelt-family

You may like: Young Teddy Roosevelt, Naturalist https://barbaralowell.com/young-teddy-roosevelt-naturalist

Books For Kids: Teddy Roosevelt https://barbaralowell.com/books-for-kids-teddy-roosevelt

The Christmas Truce of 1914

Remembering the Christmas Truce of 1914, Albert Moran of the 2nd Queen’s Regiment wrote: “It was a beautiful moonlit night, frost on the ground, white almost everywhere; and…there were those lights — I don’t know what they were. And then they sang Silent Night, Stille Nacht. I shall never forget it. It was one of the highlights of my life.”

From: Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce by Stanley Weintraub.

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The lights shining on the parapets — the tops of the German trenches — were candles. Up and down the lines of the Western Front, stretching from the shores of Belgium through France, soldiers sang Christmas carols and exchanged Christmas greetings across No Man’s Land. This was the Christmas truce of 1914, four months after the start of World War I.

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German and Allied Soldiers Together

The truce began with the Germans. They lit candles on the parapets and on their Christmas trees. They sang Silent Night. Their Christmas spirit inspired the Allies. The British, French, and Belgian soldiers responded first by shooting flares into the sky and then singing Christmas carols.

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Christmas Day Football

Signs went up. The British wrote “Merry Christmas.” The Germans wrote “Happy Christmas.” Men left the trenches and crossed No Man’s Land to greet each other. They exchanged gifts of chocolate, cakes, and tobacco and played games of football together. For a brief time, the joy of Christmas brought peace again to the men in the trenches on the Western Front.

If you like this article, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author

You may like: Books For Kids Christmas (history) https://barbaralowell.com/books-for-kids-christmas

Books For Kids:

Shooting Stars: The Christmas Truce of 1914

By John Hendrix

Christmas in the Trenches

By John McCutcheon, Illustrated by Henri Sorensen

Christmas Truce: A True Story of World War I

By Aaron Shephard, Illustrated by Wendy Edelson

Julia Child’s Cat Minette

Paris, France, was full of surprises for Julia Child. She quickly learned that Parisian apartments were not only cold, but came equipped with their own mice. The answer to the mice problem was clear to Julia’s maid. One day, Jeanne appeared with a basket that held the soon-to-be mouse catcher, a mud and cream colored cat. Julia named her Minette and then Mini for short.

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At first, Minette was content to stay in the basket. But when she smelled Julia’s soup, curiosity took over. Minette jumped onto the shelf above the stove. She watched Julia work to recreate the mushroom soup she enjoyed at a restaurant. From Julia’s very first meal in France, she was determined to learn to cook the French food she loved. Julia’s soup didn’t turn out to be an exact copy, but Minette seemed happy with it and ate a saucer full.

Another Paris surprise for Julia was how much she adored her French cat. “I had never been much of an animal person,” she said. “She was my first cat ever, and I thought she was marvelous.”

Julia invented Minette’s favorite game, batting at a Brussel sprout tied a string.  And Julia enjoyed watching Minette’s tail switching around when she ducked her head under the radiator. Occasionally, Minette showed her appreciation for Julia’s affection and good food by dropping at mouse at Julia’s feet.

Minette found her way into Julia’s heart at the perfect time.  In their kitchen, Julia practiced cooking the French food she later became famous for. And lucky Minette tasted it first.

If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author

To learn more about Julia’s cats visit: https://juliascats.com/

You may like Jane Goodall https://barbaralowell.com/jane-goodall

A Book For Kids:

Minette’s Feast by Susannh Reich, Illustrated by Amy Bates

Celebrate Julia Child’s Life:


 

 

Abraham Lincoln Pardons A Turkey

On October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation making Thanksgiving a national holiday. It would be celebrated on the last Thursday of November. Soon after the tradition of pardoning a turkey began.

According to a November 2012 article on Smithsonian.com, a live turkey was delivered to the White House for Abraham Lincoln’s family Christmas dinner in late 1863.

Abraham Lincoln’s son Tad, named the turkey Jack. Tad taught Jack to follow him closely as he wandered around the White House grounds. When the time came to turn Jack into Christmas dinner, Tad protested, saying, “He’s a good turkey, and I don’t want him killed.”

Tad Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln always a kind father and a great animal lover, gave in and pardoned Jack. Lincoln’s pardon was the first for a White House turkey. The tradition continues today.

If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author

You may like: Books For Kids: Abe Lincoln https://barbaralowell.com/books-for-kids-abe-lincoln

The Smithsonian article can be found at: 

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-history-of-pardoning-turkeys-began-with-tad-lincoln-141137570/

Books For Kids:

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Thanksgiving in the White House

By Gary Hines, Illustrated by Alexandra Wallner

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Lincoln and His Boys

By Rosemary Wells, Illustrated by P.J. Lynch

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Mr. Lincoln’s Boys

By Staton Rabin, Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

Kids Tell the Story of the First Thanksgiving:

Ben Franklin Invented Swim Fins

Ben Franklin was the first person to invent and test swim fins.

Growing up in Boston, Ben loved to swim. He wanted to find a way to make swimming easier. When he was eleven, he built a set of wooden swim paddles for his hands, similar to the fins of a fish. The paddles worked, but swimming with them eventually hurt his wrists.

Ben went back to work and made a second set for his feet. He then tried out both sets together. Unfortunately, he found that he could swim better without the paddles. He later found that floating in the water could be easily accomplished when holding onto a kite.

Today, we use flexible swim fins based on the same principle Ben used. We can swim faster and easier with them.

Read about his swim fins in:

61BVa1RnddLBen Franklin’s Big Splash

By Barb Rosenstock, Illustrated by S.D. Schindler

As an adult, Ben continued inventing practical objects. He invented the Franklin Stove, bifocals, the lightning rod, a musical instrument called the Glass Armonica, the Long Arm for reaching books off a high shelf, the library chair, the second hand clock, and the odometer — only the Glass Armonica is rarely used today.

Read about his inventions in:

Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin

By Gene Barretta

And of course — he discovered that electricity is the same as lightning.

If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author

To Learn More Read: Ben Franklin Runs Away at: https://barbaralowell.com/ben-franklin-runs-away

Books For Kids: Ben Franklin https://barbaralowell.com/books-for-kids-ben-franklin

Watch kids present how Ben discovered electricity at: http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/benjamin-franklin/videos/kids-history-ben-franklin-and-his-kite

Balto, Hero Dog

In January 1925, only a dog sled run could stop a diphtheria outbreak in Nome, Alaska. The necessary medicine was over 600 miles away in Nenana, Alaska. Sled teams raced in relays passing the serum from one team to the next.

Sixty-seven miles from Nome, musher Gunnar Kasson and his dog team led by Balto, took the serum and tried to wait out a blizzard. When the blizzard continued, he had no choice. Gunnar took off heading for the next team, thirty-four miles away. They crossed the Topok River in winds reaching eighty miles an hour. Gunnar couldn’t see. It was up to Balto to find the way. He raced in whiteout conditions, over ice, and in darkness with the temperature falling to -36 degrees.

When they reached the relay station there were no lights on and their replacement team was asleep. Exhausted, Gunnar, Balto, and their team had to keep going. They had to reach Nome, twenty-one miles away.

On February 2, Balto led the team into Nome bringing the lifesaving serum. He and Gunnar Kassen became heroes overnight. Newspapers across the country told their story the next day.

A statue stands in Central Park in New York commemorating Balto and the 1925 serum run. On the plaque are these words: Dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs that relayed antitoxins 660 miles over rough ice, across treacherous waters, through Arctic blizzards from Nenana to the relief stricken Nome in the winter of 1925.

Balto

Images Courtesy of Wiki Commons

If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author

You may like: Hachiko, Faithful Dog https://barbaralowell.com/hachiko-faithful-dog

Famous Fala, The President’s Dog https://barbaralowell.com/fala-the-presidents-dog

Books For Kids:

51JdizkFaqLThe Incredible Life of Balto

  By Meghan McCarthy

The Great Serum Race

By Debbie S. Miller, Illustrated by Jon Van Zyle

Seabiscuit The Racehorse

During the Great Depression, Americans needed cheering up. They found Seabiscuit, the little racehorse with the big heart.

Seabiscuit, born in 1933, was the grandson of Man o’ War, one of the greatest racehorses. His original owners expected that he would be a winning Thoroughbred too. But he was small for a racehorse, had a bit of a bad temper, and preferred sleeping to running. He lost his first seventeen races, eventually winning some, but was inconsistent. Then, Charles and Marcela Howard bought him and hired the right trainer, Tom Smith.

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Tom Smith

Tom Smith treated him gently. He let him sleep when he wanted to, fed him better quality hay, and talked to him in a quiet voice. Tom even moved, Pumpkin, a yellow horse, Pocatell, a spotted dog, and, Jo Jo, a spider monkey into Seabiscuit’s stall. The animals seemed to calm him. Then Tom found just the right jockey, Red Pollard. 

Red Pollard

Seabiscuit liked Red right away. With Red aboard, he won big races. Soon, he was featured in popular magazines and movie newsreels. Americans loved him. He was like them, overcoming obstacles to succeed. When he won a race, Americans felt they were winning too.

Seabiscuit’s greatest challenge came in 1938, when he faced the tall, sleek Thoroughbred racehorse War Admiral. In 1937, War Admiral won horse racing’s highest honor, the Triple Crown. Seabiscuit, a four-year-old that year could not compete against War Admiral in the Triple Crown events, only for three-year-olds. But Americans wanted to see the two horses race.

They met on November 1, 1938. Red Pollard was injured and could not ride that day. He advised, George Woolf, his replacement how best to ride Seabiscuit. His advice worked. After running head to head for a good part of the race, Seabiscuit sped away from War Admiral to win in an exciting finish. 

If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author

Watch them in action in this exceptional video from PBS’s American Experience:

Books for kids:

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Seabiscuit the Wonder Horse

by Megan McCarthy

Who Was Seabiscuit?

By James Buckley, Illustrated by Gregory Copeland