Summary

The story of an unusual friendship between three cats and an old hound dog merges with that of a centuries old serpent in the book “The Underneath” by Kathi Appelt. Instead of welcoming the addition of a new family members, the serpent has spent her life stewing in anger because of her daughter's marriage. Her anger results in the loss of her daughter. However, years later, the serpent recognizes the love she sees between a hound dog and his kittens. She uses her jaws to snap the chain that holds the hound dog, freeing him and allowing him to live.

In Chapter 1, a pregnant calico cat has been dropped off by her family in a lonely woods. She finds an unused nest where she purrs herself to sleep.

In Chapter 2, there is a dead loblolly pine near a creek called Little Sorrowful. Twenty-five...