Where the Red Fern Grows

Title: Where the Red Fern Grows

Author: Wilson Rawls             Copyright Date: 1961                       

Genre: Fiction                         Pages of Book: 212 Pages

Publisher: Yearling                 Reading Level: 4^th to 6^th grade

Summary: A young boy name Billy had wanted so badly a pair of hunting hounds. However his family couldn’t afford to get that nice of dogs. Billy catches animals and sells their fur to the fisherman that would come. For three years he saves all of his money. He finally has enough money to get a pair of hounds. His grandpa helps him order them and they are to be shipped to a nearby town. He doesn’t tell his parents until he already had picked them up. The book tells about these three and their hunting adventures. Despite their small size they are a great team. Little Ann is very smart and Old Dan is the strong one. These three are inseparable even when they aren’t hunting. They have become such a good pair that Billy’s grandpa enters them in a coon hunting competition. Billy’s dad and grandpa go with him. One night during the final competition a blizzard sets in and they get separated from the dogs. Billy’s grandpa gets hurt and they end up having to spend the night out there without the dogs. When they found the dogs the next morning they were covered in snow and ice but they didn’t leave the tree that the coon was in. Billy still wins the competition and life couldn’t be much better. After going home they are out hunting when they tree a mountain lion. It attacks the dogs and as a result of the wounds Old Dan dies. Little Ann then has no desire to live and she won’t eat. Soon after see dies also. This is a very sad ending and Billy is very miserable without his dogs. After his parents tell Billy that they are going to move to town so him and his sister can go to school. Before he moves he goes and visits Little Ann and Old Dan’s graves and on them there is a red fern growing. A red fern symbolizes sacredness.

Reaction: This book is so heartfelt, as you read it you can really see the love Billy has for his dogs. The ending just makes me so sad. Thought I think that it is something we all can relate to. Most people have lost pets that they dearly love.

Problem: The inseparable three are separated but they have lots of good memories together.

Recommendations: I think that this is a great book for children. However I would be careful of the age group and maybe even specifically person. This story doesn’t end the happiest as the dogs die at the end. I would recommend it to older than 4^th for sure.