Have you heard of a book called “The One and Only Ivan” by Kathrine Applegate? It is a rich resource for cultivating intellectual curiosity in young readers. I would tell you about what is compelling about this book, including animals' rights, art as resistance, captivity, and freedom.

First, animal rights means being kind and thinking in the way animals think. People can’t keep animals in a cage just because people want to see them. In the book, Ivan lives in a small cage. We could be a voice for someone else who cannot speak up for themselves by telling others. 

In the book, Ivan helps Ruby by drawing pictures, and Julia and George help put the drawings on the billboard, and the people save them. Julia, George, and others all help endangered animals. 

Second, Ivan uses drawings as resistance and self-definition. Ivan likes to draw with mud when he was young. Ivan draws now while he is in the cage and sells his drawings in the gift shop for 24 dollars (25 with a frame). Essentially, art transforms the world from a small cage to a family worldwide.

Third, captivity and freedom are not in a small place. Ivan’s cage symbolizes captivity, but people think it is a place that is safe for animals and a place where people can see them. When someone is free, it means he or she is not confined to a small place and not forced to do things.

In conclusion, The One and Only Ivan is a must-read book for three reasons: animal rights, art as resistance, and self-definition, which is all about showing empathy and kindness to both animals and humans.