“Where The Red Fern Grows” by Wilson Rawls

Review #118

“The tale of a boy and his best friends, two remarkable hunting dogs who teach him about life, loyalty and trust against a wild woodland back drop where adventure waits just around the bend.” The story is narrated by Billy as an old man remembering his dogs. This book was written for children but, I know adults who consider it one of their personal favorites.

Where the Red Fern Grows is a very emotional book. The story is about a ten year old boy named Billy who lives in the Ozark Mountains some time in the early part of the 20th century. Billy wants 2 coon hunting dogs more than anything else in the world. His folks are poor and coon dogs cost money. So…for two long years, he does whatever he needs to do to earn money, saves it and on his own, buys two small red hound puppies.

Once he gets his dogs, Billy teaches them to hunt by dragging an old coonskin all over the woods near his home. Old Dan and Little Ann are great hunters and work together as a team as they try to outsmart the coons that are trying to outsmart them. Little Ann's brain complements Old Dan's brawn, and the two dogs work together as "one." Their loyalty and love for each other (and toward Billy) is inspiring, as is Billy's respect for his dogs.

Quite a number of events keep the story interesting. Billy enters himself and his dogs in a championship coon hunt. He enters into a bet with neighbor boys, Rainie and Rubin that Billy and his hounds can't catch the "ghost" coon. That was a night to remember, with a lesson! And you will never forget the Mountain Lion that Little Ann and Old Dan trees!

WARNING!
Even though this book was written for children and is considered a classic, there are a few things in this book that might bother some adults, let alone, a sensitive child. A young boy dies while running with an ax in the woods, a rather upsetting scene. There are a lot of raccoons killed; animal lovers might find this a little too much for their taste. I'm risking spoiling the book for you, but the two dogs die toward the end of the story. And..lastly, Billy cuts down a lot of trees just to get to the coons…Green Peace wasn’t around back then.