''Old Ben'' is a 1970 book by

Jesse Stuart Jesse may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible. * Jesse (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Jesse (surname), a list of people Music * ''Jesse'' ...

, illustrated by

Richard Cuffari Richard Cuffari (March 2, 1925 – 1978)
de Grummond Collection, McCain Library and Arc ...

. It was selected for the 1970

Lewis Carroll Shelf Award The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award was an American literary award conferred on several books annually by the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education annually from 1958 to 1979. Award-winning books were deemed to "belong on the same shelf" ...

Summary

The story of Shan, a

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

boy, and the friendship he forms with a big Cottonmouth snake.

References

1970 books Fictional snakes {{child-book-stub