Abba Jacob is a monk who lives on a far, far away island with his loyal rat terrier, Snook. Every day, from the wee hours of dawn till the sun sets over the sea, Snook keeps Abba Jacob company as he prays or works, tending the gardens or fixing the plumbing of the little hermitage he calls home. 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 of fierceness and wonder. Will he ever again hear the loving voice that he waits for?

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 english fairytale. The illustrator's choices are an interesting contrast to the tropical setting of the book. ( )

27 months - We might revisit this one at an older age. Originally I didn't think O would be into this read and her interest did fade but she kept coming back to hear more until we finished the story. The artwork and story are different but we quite enjoyed it. ( )

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. ( )

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. ( )