ABEL'S ISLAND by William Steig

PUBLISHER: Square Fish, 2007
ORIGINAL PUB: 1976
GENRE: Fiction/Children's
PURCHASE: link
MY GRADE: A

FROM PUBLISHER: Abel's place in his familiar, mouse world has always been secure; he had an allowance from his mother, a comfortable home, and a lovely wife, Amanda. But one stormy August day, furious flood water carry him off and dump him on an uninhabited island. Despite his determination and stubborn resourcefulness―he tried crossing the river with boats and ropes and even on stepping-stones―Abel can't find a way to get back home.

Abel's time on the island brings him a new understanding of the world he's separated from. Faced with the daily adventure of survival in his solitary, somewhat hostile domain, he is moved to reexamine the easy way of life he had always accepted and discovers skills and talents in himself that hold promise of a more meaningful life, if and when he should finally return to Mossville and his dear Amanda again.

MY THOUGHTS: This is a short children's book, 119 pages, set in 1907 in a town called Mossville. There are 31 full-page black and white illustrations and quite a few pages with one large black and white illustration that takes up 2/3 of the page.

Abel's a well-to-do unemployed mouse who's married to Amanda. They have no children and live in a fancy house. Able gets stranded on a island for a full year. He has to live off the land. He lives in a hollowed-out log. He's studied botany so he knows which plants are edible which ones to stay away from. He even made himself a coat by weaving grass blades together. He made bowls and dishes out of clay. Sometimes he'd write a note, put it in a dish with a flower and send it downriver in hopes of someone finding it and rescuing him, but that never happened.

He was getting along just fine until an owl showed up and tried to harm him. One thing that shouldn't have been in a children's book is how Able wished harm on the owl by contemplating poking his eyes out with a pole and setting fire to his wings. I thought it odd and funny that it was mentioned Abel "defecated" behind a rock.

One day a frog, Gower Glacksen, showed up. He had been washed away in a waterfall so had to live with Able until he could make his way back to his own home. A cat showed up and nearly killed him but, like with the owl, he survived. The weather got better and he made his way home and lived happily ever after.

This is a cute and innocent story with great illustrations. Too bad they weren't in color!

A thirty-minute direct-to-video film was made in 1988 but definitely looks more like 70's animation. Abel was voiced by Tim Curry. You can watch the first half here.