The underneath is a place of safety and warmth, but if you ever choose to
wonder out like a curious kitten, danger is in your near future. I am about
three quarters through
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt. This book was awarded
two novel prizes, and I've got to say it gosh dang should have! Each chapter
alternates between a tale of a dog named Ranger with a momma cat plus
kittens, and an ancient story of the trees and a snake known as Grandmother.
Now you're probably thinking... This is just gonna be a little 5 year old book
about puppies and kittens!? Wow.. But no! You have to trust me; it is a LOT
more than that. We see Ranger (the dog) experience brutal violence from his
owner Gar Face (they call him that because he hunts alligators and a long time
ago he was attacked by one), he is just a mean guy that poor Ranger has to deal
with. A kind of man who now a days would be charged with animal cruelty. This
is when we see the underneath come into play. To escape the awful behavior of
Gar Face, Ranger hides in the underneath. This is low down below the porch of
his house. Not too long from them Ranger finds an abandoned pregnant mother of
6 kittens on the side road. He warns her if she doesn't hide now Gar will use
her kittens as bate for the alligators. Kathi Appelt writes, "Then you
must keep out of sight of Gar Face. And then together they curled up in a dark
space beneath the porch. The Underneath. The dark and holy Underneath,"
(page 25). Back to when I said "like a curious kitten,” that is just what
I mean. Mother had always warned them to never leave, but she had to keep her
eye on all 6, and when one slipped out right under her nose, a whole myriad of
events twisted and turned!
Kathi Appelt intertwines the two stories very
well, and sneak peak to where I'm at now... they all connect and a way you
would never think of. Crazy, I know right. Which is one reason why I enjoy this
book so much, yes there is violence to animals, and it may seem quite confusing
sometimes with the snake and trees. But once you get to the end you get a big
slap in the face, of "OHHH, oh my gosh it makes sense now." This
