The Underneath

 Novel by Kathi Appelt.

The writing in this book is some of the most poetic, lovely prose I have ever come across in a children's novel. This requires a bit more time to savor and digest the words, so the author brilliantly divided it into unbelievably short chapters. This also makes it perfect for a read-aloud. It was also an interesting mix of animal story and american folktale, with a lot of heart and a surprising amount of suspense. My only complaint is that in telling so many stories simultaneously, jumping back and forth between all the different characters, sometimes it felt hard to keep interest in all the plotlines.

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