Snook Alone by Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering

Abba Jacob lived on an island with his dog, Snook.  Each day their routine was the same.  They got up at dawn, prayed, worked together, and spent time in companionable silence together.  Sometimes there were visitors or Abba Jacob headed off to town in his car, but Snook was always there waiting for him.  Until one day, Snook and Abba Jacob headed out in a boat to help catalog plant and animal species on the islands.  Snook was along to help catch the rats and mice that were disrupting the birds and animals of the islands.  It was great micing!  It was so good that Snook got too involved in his work, so when a storm blew up, Abba Jacob was forced to leave Snook behind on the deserted island.  All alone, Snook found his own rhythm of silence, catching food, finding water, silence and waiting.  Sometimes he thought he could hear Abba Jacob’s voice on the wind, but no one came for him.  Snook spent a long time alone on the island, never forgetting his friend, Abba Jacob.  Until one day, a fishing boat returned to the island with Abba Jacob aboard!

This book is such a  delight.  It is a book with such depth, such quiet, such silence that its power builds during those quiet moments, creating a magnificent longing.  It is a book that celebrates the simple, the quiet, the profound in our lives.  It is a book about enduring friendship, continued connection, and at its heart: love.  Nelson writes with such a beauty here that some lines make you stop and you have to remember to breathe again.  They are moments just like in the book itself, moments of simple clarity, embedded in the writing.  This is a book that will be a grand choice for a class to discuss, perfection for advanced students who will enjoy the language but will also enjoy the illustrations.  It is a book to be shared.

Ering’s illustrations echo the themes of the book with their delightful mix of cartoon and painting.  Abba Jacob is a round, merry soul shown in cartoon lines.  Snook on the other hand can be funny and cartoonish, but is also depicted as a noble beast in paints.  The illustrations work exceedingly well to show simple life, the vistas of the sea and the island, and the warmth of the connection between man and dog.

A masterful book about faith and friendship, this is an outstanding picture book that deserves plenty of recognition on best book lists but more importantly a spot in school and public libraries.  Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by 100 Scope Notes.