Snook Alone

I was surprised by how much I liked Snook Alone by Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering. I had heard a lot of gushing about it, but it sounded too high concept-y for my taste, plus most people were talking about Ering's illustrations and I haven't cared for what I've seen of his work in the past. Obviously, I haven't looked closely enough or seen enough of his work because this was a lovely book, quiet and reflective, with illustrations that shone with emotion and humor. This is a fairly lengthy book and won't work as a read-aloud, unless you're looking for a longer story to read to a classroom of 1st - 3rd graders.

Verdict: Recommended if you have the audience for longer, more complex and quiet picture books.

Snook is a rat terrier who lives with a hermit somewhere in the tropical pacific isles. The two of them attend to various duties throughout the small islands and atolls. Snook's duty to take take care of the rat infestation. One day a terrible storm separates the two and leaves Snook stranded alone. He explores all the wonders of the tiny island and it's eco system while longing for his friend. At last he spies a distant dot in the surf that turns out to be Abba Jacob his friend. The two are happily reunited at last. Marilyn Nelson goes into great detail describing the setting of the isle. Her poetry is laden with with lyricism and flows as gently as the surf. The illustrations are a hazy watercolor style reminiscent of a classic show more english fairytale. The illustrator's choices are an interesting contrast to the tropical setting of the book. show less

Nelson's language in Snook Alone is rich, beautiful, and complex as she vividly describes Snook and Abba Jacob's friendship, Snook's sorrow in his absence, and the many adventures he has on the island. Ering's illustrations are gorgeously done as Snook reminded me of realistic portraits of a dog. Some of the black/tan/white sketches reminded me of the beginning art work for animated television and I could definitely see this story recreated in some media format. I was expecting a little different ending, maybe with Snook raising the turtles on his own, but I was excited and relieved when loyal Snook was reunited with his faithful owner. I read this with my 9 year old daughter who is an animal lover and really enjoyed this story.

Castaway for dogs. It was sad, a little scary, and also an adventure. It was a good storytime read for an eight year old, full of rich language and the illustrations are great at keeping a young reader interested.

So I loved this book, until Melissa questioned why the dog is so realistic and Abba Jacob is very cartoon like. Now that really bothers me too. I still love every single image of Snook. They so perfectly capture the moods, movements and emotions of a dog.

Snook, the dog, and his beloved owner are separated during a stormy night - will Snook be able to survive alone? Will they be reunited? The power of this age-old tale of friendship comes from explicit references to love and suspense about Snook's adventures. The story is long and packed with high-level vocabulary making it a good choice for upper elementary classes.

I'm not sure who would enjoy this book. It has a religious bent, since Abba Jacob is a monk. The cover makes it look like a dog story, but there is actually a lot of drama with a storm and the ocean. The dog is drawn realistically, but the monk is drawn whimsically. There is a lot of text on the page, so a reader of eight or up might enjoy it, but it is much too long for a storytime read.