Freya and her family are spending the summer in the Åland islands. When she and her siblings spot a snake sunning itself on the beach, Freya is delighted and names it “Snakey.” Her parents, concerned about Freya’s toddling baby brother getting bitten, are alarmed. Her father reads a book to learn how to safely capture a snake, but when he attempts to catch the snake with a stick and bucket, he is comically unsuccessful. The mother then suggests that he find a less sentimental way, and in a quick succession of events and page turns, he clubs the snake to death with an old oar. Freya is distraught. “SNAKE MURDERER!” she yells. She mourns the death of Snakey and is outraged by her father’s violence. She stays angry, unable to forgive him even as the rest of her family moves on and enjoys ice cream together. This Nordic picture book bluntly addresses issues of death, violence, and animal rights while also keeping the story firmly child centered. Freya’s raw emotions are as much about Snakey as they are about the human fallibility of her father. Following a moment of repair and reflection between Freya and her father, the sad story of Snakey is laid to rest, with Freya getting the final word.

When a dangerous snake enters the safe space of a family, a child and parent have different ideas about how to handle the situation. When Freya and her siblings spot a snake near where they’re playing, Freya names it Snakey. But her parents worry Snakey will bite someone. Her dad tries to capture it so he can take it far away. Only, that’s much harder to do than he expects. So, to make sure Snakey doesn’t harm anyone, he decides he must take a different approach. One offering a more permanent solution. One that Freya says she’ll never forgive him for. Told with empathy and honesty, this thought-provoking book explores death, forgiveness and what happens when a child disapproves of something their parent does.