Abel's Island

I am an adult, but I love well written children's books. They can pack mystery, adventure, and other genre, but are quicker reads. Abel's Island is an outstanding example of the perfect children's book for adults. Newly married and stylish, Abel gets swept away in a rain storm when he attempts to retrieve his bride's lovely scarf. After nearly drowning, and soaked to the bone, Abel finds himself on a remote island and can't find a way off. Many months go by while Abel attempts unending schemes to gain the mainland. His discoveries about himself are much in the same vein as Robinson Crusoe and Hatchet. He learns to fend for himself in a vast wilderness, yet never gives in to the possibility of never returning to his loved one. She is his vision that keeps him focused on his only goal. She is his Mecca. A delicate adventure and love story for anyone over eight years of age..

Abel's Island by William Steig is truly one of the best children's books that has been produced. Any person, young or old, can learn from this beautiful little novel and be moved by it.
It is the story of Abel, a mouse who one day is separated from his wife by a terrible storm. Abel had been a rich, secure mouse in his former life. But in his new life, alone on an island, he learns to challenge himself. His experiences give him great insights into his true being. He also learns to appreciate that he really had in his former life, especially the love of his wife.
The plot is very simple to the novel. Abel has to survive and try to get back to his wife. It is very Robinson Crusoesque. But the novel is told with such warmth and humor that the reader is totally enraptured by this tale. The prose is so beautiful, the character's so endearing, and the insights are so great that no one who reads it will ever forget it. I just finished carrying it around for a couple of days on a college campus while I was rereading it, and it was seen and remembered by so many of my fellow students who cherished as students. Any child should read this as should any adult.

This was required reading for my son going into fifth grade. He is not a strong reader, and neither he nor I enjoyed it. The combination of a large amount of flowery language and very little action made it a struggle to get through. What little humor there was, was too sophisticated. It was hard for us to identify with this foppish married mouse who ate caviar and champagne. While I can appreciate that many (I guess most!) find it literary and delicious, my son found it boring, and looking at it through his eyes, I have to agree.

Great for children and adults alike, this story draws you in and makes you keep turning the pages. In the story a mouse named Abel is living a life of leisure with his wife Amanda. He is a wealthy high society fellow who does not work but lives comfortably with money provided by his wealthy mother, drinking champagne and eating caviar. During a picnic, Abel is swept into the river only to be beached on a deserted island. He sits down to await his rescue that never comes. He wants his old life badly with his comfortable bed, snug house, books, and clean clothes.

But he is stranded now and must learn to survive. As a spoiled rich mouse, he does not know how to fend for himself, yet he has become a Robinson Crusoe of sorts. As his old leisurely self disappears, Abel teaches himself create fire, to find and store food such as mushrooms and seeds, build shelter, and to make pottery to eat with. He fights off an owl determined to eat him, and never stops trying to find a way off the island. He is an intelligent, inventive fellow, and builds rafts, tries to swim the strong rive current, builds a bridge, uses stepping stones, rope, a catapult, and even a glider, all with disastrous results. He has to make use of his extra time on his hands and he finally learns he has an artistic side which brings him to sculpt life size images of his friends and loved ones. His perseverance is incredible against all odds and fears and he never gives up trying.

The author never uses "kid talk" in his books, but uses intelligent vocabulary in a way that does not put off kids, but increases their interest. Honestly no kid that begins reading this story can put it down, and any adult is captivated by the language the author uses to tell his tale. Abel's life strength lies in his never ending love for his wife. And we as the reader are helped to realize how lucky we are to be home with the ones that love us. Truly a gem.

After you read the story, if you want a bit more of Abel's world you see him on a VHS tape by the same name. It is available from the childrens department at your local library, or you can buy it "used" here at Amazon like I did. It was worth it, as it was a quality production that is true to the story, and the art is very similar to Steig's gentle illustrations from the book.

Abel's Island was a good book! I got bored through some of it, but other parts were exciting. It had good word choice. There were some pretty big words, but I could understand them, since they were in good sentences.

Abel's Island is about a mouse who gets stuck on an island. He is blown out of the cave while trying to get his lovely wife's scarf. He has several attampts to get off the island, but no such luck until the water shallows down and he swims across.

What a lovely book! Beautifully written. Charming, loving story of a mouse stranded on an island surviving on his own.
I borrowed this book from the library to read with my daughter, but I fell in love with it, and am buying a copy for my permanent collection.

Dear Reader,
I am 11 years old and I love this book. This book is about this mouse that gets trapped on an island trying to retrive his wife's scarf. He trys many ways to get off but, only one gets him off. Now the rest is yours to find out.And remerber Abel's Island is a great.
Your writer,
Nicky Bob

GREAT story! We used this as a read aloud, and it was fun! The vocabulary was abit challenging at times, but
we found the glossary in the back helpful. We appreciate being stretched to expand our vocabulary. Also, there are a few good discussion questions at the end, that help to exercise thinking skills.

Abel's Island is a cute little story. Willaim Steig has a great writing style, and his language flows beautifully and smoothly. You come to feel as if you know the little mouse Abel very well.
As far as the overall plot goes, I felt that it did lack excitement and was rather predictable. However, I frequently found myself looking beyond the simple story of the mouse on the surface and into deeper issues that relate to life. I believe that you can explore this story on many different levels. For young children it may simply be a delightful story of adventure, while older children and adults may be able to draw much more out of it.
I would recommend this book for readers of all ages.

Abel's Island was written and illustrated by William Steig. This novel was funny and light-hearted yet filled with adventure. It tells the story of a young and recently married mouse who has become trapped on a deserted island. The illustrations were fun and did a great job of setting the mood for the story. In the story, Steig uses Abel's predicament on the island to show the reader the metamorphosis of Abel's character. In the beginning of the novel, Abel is a rich and noble-mouse who has no career and depends on his mother for his income. He has no identity of his own or even the desire to find one. By the time he got off the island, he was self-sufficient and knew what he wanted from life. Anita Moss commented on his change, "Abel had left home a pampered mouse with no identity of his own; he returns a wiry-strong artist". Abel is able to develop many characteristics that he never knew he had. Through his countless, yet futile, attempts to leave the island, he discovered his ingenuity and determination. Steig captured these awakenings through the expressions on Abel's face in several of the illustrations. Abel is also forced to develop his survival skills and accompanying bravery. When he finally realizes that he will be staying on the island for a while, he is forced to be resourceful and find food and shelter. His bouts with the bloodthirsty owl also force him to sharpen his survival skills and be courageous. Anita Moss said, "The battle with the owl provides a test of Abel's courage, heroic anger, and resourcefulness as he fashions a spear with which to challenge and put to flight the bewildered owl". Steig does a great job in developing the dynamics of Abel's character. While Abel was secure in his comfortable city life, he had not had the chance to really challenge himself and see what life has to offer.