Review by Horn Book Review
Middle-grade fans of loyal-dog stories will be drawn into this picture book (which features a lengthy text and sophisticated art) about a dog separated from, and reunited with, his master. Snook, a rat terrier, belongs to Abba Jacob, a monk who lives on an island in the Indian Ocean. Abba Jacob's days are filled with work and silent prayer; during the silence, Snook lies nearby and hears 'the wind in the sugar canes, the me-singing birds, / a distant, insistent rooster, a rumble of trucks, / and the bee-buzzing of motorbikes.' When Snook is left on a neighboring island by accident, he weathers a storm, then begins his long wait for Abba Jacob's return. The silence Snook experiences here is 'black and empty'; as the days pass, Snook's 'every molecule listened for his friend.' Eventually, much as Abba Jacob communes with God in silence, Snook feels his master's love within the silence on the island. While young readers may not get all the nuances, they are sure to appreciate poet Nelson's imagery-filled text, With its inventive metaphor ('Snook slept. . .with one ear periscoping out of sleep') and lively simile (a crab is 'like a boxer with one giant glove'; birds have 'little fishes dangling from their beaks / like handlebar mustaches'). The acrylic and ink art depicts heavy- and light-hearted moments equally well, and while Snook and the ever-present ocean are painted realistically, Ering's cartoony representation of Abba Jacob lightens the load, balancing the story's darker moments. JENNIFER M. BRABANDER (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
