Abel's Island

Description

Winner of the Newbery Medal and Honor: a heartwarming tale of one mouse's struggle to go home, by the author of Shrek! Abel has been happily married to Amanda for over a year. He has a comfortable home, an allowance from his mother, and no reason to worry. But one summer afternoon, a sudden storm blows away Amanda's scarf. Abel rushes after it - and is swept away by the wind. When he finally comes to rest, he finds himself marooned on an uninhabited island. Ever resourceful, he is sure he will escape. He tries everything - bridges, boats, catapults, stepping stones - but gradually comes to realise that there is no way out...As the winter draws in, the canny mouse must endure hunger, danger, and the ever-present threat of an owl with nasty intentions. And will he ever get home? Will he see his beloved Amanda once more?

Reviews

It's not only for kids that Steig's work offers revelations... [Abel's Island] is a deep meditation on time and endurance Los Angeles Times There was no trouble in locating the best book of the year, William Steig's Abel's Island... Steig is triumphant in the quality of his prose - nor has he stinted on the quality and quantity of his illustrations The New York Times Abel is a classic Steig hero: amiable, dignified, polite and given to moments of brave self-understanding that cause him to rise to desperate challenges... a joy to read aloud Wall Street Journal Abel's adventures are presented with Steig's usual grace, warmth, and insight, and the delights of the text are further enhanced by his drawings. On all counts, it's a winner School Library Journal, Starred Review With inimitable style, Steig tells the story of a mouse... who gets swept away Booklist, Starred Review Whatever child likes The Bat-Poet or Charlotte's Web will love the way Steig uses our language and will want to relive Abel's odyssey on many a rainy Sunday afternoon Washington Post Book World Steig's books are like perfect smooth stones, complete in themselves, with no seams to be found... he always has the skill to bring together what seems to be a lot of spur-of-the-moment choices and make them into stories that land so perfectly and satisfyingly and feel so inevitable in their endings -- Jon Klassen, author of This Is Not My Hat Guardian

Author description

William Steig (1907-2003) was an American cartoonist, sculptor and illustrator and writer of children's books. He was also the creator of Shrek!, which inspired the film series of the same name. He was the U.S. nominee for both of the biennial international Hans Christian Andersen Awards, as a children's book illustrator in 1982 and a writer in 1988.