Modern Fantasy- Abel's Island By: William Steig

          As the book begins, Abel, a mouse, is enjoying a picnic with his wife Amanda, but they are interrupted by a fierce rainstorm and are forced to take shelter in a cave nearby. The two are separated when Abel braves the storm to retrieve Amanda's scarf, blown away by a gust of wind. The storm washes Abel into a river and he is swept downstream until he is stranded on an island. Abel attempts to escape the island many times, but fails, and finally realizes that he must survive on the island by himself. He finds a log and makes it his home in the winter. To ease his loneliness, he creates his family out of clay and talks to them. Poor Abel has to live through the most hardest times, including battling an owl and surviving through a harsh winter. Later in the novel, another stranded victim from the river, a frog named Gower, comes and befriends Abel. Later, he leaves promising that he will send for help when he gets back home. However, weeks pass and no one comes. Gower either forgot (due to his lack of memory), or he never made it back. Abel then decides to swim against the fierce river after the water level has dropped sufficiently. Abel eventually makes the hard trip back and returns to Mossville, where he is reunited with his beloved Amanda.

           I love this story because it is an easy and exciting read. It is a great example of a fantasy with animals as characters. I have just gotten around to reading this book myself, but it was very popular to read when the movie "Castaway" with Tom Hanks was in the theaters. A lot of things that happened to Tom Hank's character also happen to Abel when he is stranded on the island. Upon completion of this book, I would have my kids write a funny instruction manual on how to survive being stranded on an island. I would then have them compare manuals and we would create a class survival manual every year. Of course I would finish up our time with this book by allowing my students to watch the clip from "Castaway" where the main character has created his friend Wilson, like Abel creates his family out of clay.