Snook Alone by Marilyn Nelson

Nelson, Marilyn.  Ering, Timothy Basil.  Snook Alone, 48 pages.  Candlewick, 2010.  $16.99. Language-G; Sexual Content-G; Violence-G;  Inside book cover: “Abba Jacob is a monk who lives on a faraway island with his loyal rat terrier, Snook.  Every day, from the wee hours of dawn until the sun sets over the sea, Snook keeps Jacob company as he prays and works.  But when the two are separated by a ferocious storm, Snook must learn to fend for himself in the wild, all alone in a world both fierce and wonderful.  Will he ever again hear the loving voice that he waits for?”  We loved the story line, but felt like it took too long to get to the conclusion of the story.  It was a difficult story to read aloud, due to over use of descriptive words.  My kids got lost, one left the room, and one of my kids almost fell asleep.  They wanted to know how the story ended, but didn’t have patience to read all the “wordy” text to find out.   Teachers will have a hard time keeping student’s attention during story time.  We loved the plot, and were glad it had a happy ending, but thought it was a difficult read. The illustrations were fantastic and eye catching!  We loved looking at each and every page!  EL (K-3)  OPTIONAL.  Reviewer: SL