Day: June 5, 2008

The Underneath

| Tasha

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt.

I had heard wonderful things about this book, but still approached it with a bit of hesitation.  I’m not much of an animal-book reader.  Let me assure you, there is no need for hesitation.  This book is magic.

It is the story of a pregnant calico cat looking for a safe place.  It is the story of an abused hound dog who howls the blues and needs a friend.  It is the story of a man devoured by a need to prove himself.  It is the thousand-year-old story of Grandmother Moccasin, a magical snake.  It is the story of love.  The story of need.  The story of trees, of swamp, of time.

Appelt has created here a book that is thick with passion, deep with thought and resonant with love.  She has taken risks here of writing too emotionally, too deeply, but manages to enter poetry and move with it.  She creates a story that has a feeling of timelessness, a feeling of folklore, and it is her language that makes that so successful.  Her writing is poetry in the form of prose, and it is thoroughly lovely.

This is not an animal story for the faint of heart.  Here you will see into the reality of evil.  The reality of abuse.  The horror of indifference.  The twisting of love into desire and selfishness.  It is a book that will bring you to tears, shock you into stopping breathing and stun you with its bravery and truth.

I must share at least one passage with you.  This is from page 50:

His heart pounded in a drumbeat of hunger, of pain, of want, of furious want.  He couldn’t swallow for want of air.  Couldn’t see for want of light.  Couldn’t stop for want of want.  Here was want crystallized in the shape of a damaged boy.  He kept running.

Whew.  The entire book is like that.  In fact, it’s hard to have selected one small passage.  I could have kept typing and typing and typing her prose.  It is all worthy of being pulled out and celebrated.

This is my number one book of the year for kids ages 11-14.  My vote for the Newbery!  Go already, find a copy, and enter a truly amazing novel that you will not want to leave.

Max's Bunny Business

| Tasha

Max’s Bunny Business by Rosemary Wells.

You can’t ever go far wrong with Rosemary Wells!  Ruby and her best friend Louise must raise enough money to purchase Fire Angel flashing rings.  They have to make $2.00.  They decide to sell lemonade at 10 cents a cup.  Of course, Max wants to help too.  But Ruby and Louise don’t want his help, so he decides to open a stand of his own.  He finds his old Halloween candy, displays it on the sidewalk, makes a big sign, and opens for business.  Ruby and Louise have more business than they can handle, and all Max needs his Grandma’s business to be a success.

Wells once again brings her classic Max and Ruby style and humor to a picture book.  Max is the classic younger brother who is pesky, messy and very bright.  While Ruby is a wonderful older sister with plenty of patience but a need to do her own thing.  Wells’ art is her own unique style, less finished than the TV show and even more charming. 

This story works really well and will be a great read aloud for preschoolers and children in kindergarten.  It nicely combines math and finance with story.