Snook Alone

• Snook Alone
• author: Marilyn Nelson  "no author website"
• illustrator: Timothy Basil Ering  http://www.timothybasileringart.com/home.htm
• medium: acrylic & ink
• year of publication: 2010
• publisher city: Somerville, Massachusettes 
• publisher: Candlewick Press
• ISBN: 978-0-4636-2667-9

Annotation:  On an island in a faraway sea a little rat terrier called Snook lives with his master Abba Jacob, a quiet monk.  When a storm separates Snook from Abba Jacob, the terrier spends time alone waiting to be reunited with his best friend.

Personal thoughts:  While his master works and prays and works some more and prays some more, Snook emulates his master, working to catch rats and sitting silently listening to the sounds of the world.  The themes of companionship and loyalty drive the story as well as the theme of loss. When Snook and Abba Jacob are separated during a violent storm, we witness Snook living without the most important person in his life, and his emotional heaviness is felt as loneliness and yearning.  The pictures are soft and impressionistic, complementing the esoteric themes of the text involving nature, tranquility and quiet longing. 
***Sophisticated language is used throughout.
"The terns soared back for a new
catch, weaving together
like streaks of playful light
every movement a synonym for joy."
***Personification is conveyed through Snook's feelings of loss for his master and the agony of wanting to be rejoined.  The experience is so effective due to Snook's human-like quality as a marooned character.