Children's Book:The Underneath

This novel is one of the most intriguing works I've ever read for children. It's so pure, unique that I truly understand why  it's a Newbery Honor book.

The main characters are animals: a hound, a cat with her two little kittens, a huge alligator, an imprisoned snake and her daughter, a hawk, and a human called Gar face.
They are so complex, their voces so well-developed that you can feel each animal's spirit rising from the pages. 

The underneath is the only place safe for the little kittens. Gar face, even as a child, is the personification of evil, dreaming about hunting wild animals, killing them, skinning them, especially, the King Alligator.

When he discovers the kittens, their mother understands that only being together could they survive. In her last moments, she asked her little son to keep a promise too big for him.

We also meet Grandmother and her story of pain, jeaulosy and attonement. Her daughter Night Song, her husband Hawk Man and their little daugther belong to the mythological aspect of the narrative, bringing magic to the pages.

The illustrations are incredible and the story is so well-built that in the end, all comes together magestically. Take a cup of coffee, a blanket and curl yourself on a comfortable chair. You'd become part of another world, a unique place where hummingbirds are waiting for all of us.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

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