Where the Red Fern Grows [Hardcover]

Wilson Rawls (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1997 | Age Range: 10 and up

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Having purchased two dogs for 50 dollars, young Billy is determined to create the valley's best hunting team.

--This text refers to the School & Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Author Wilson Rawls spent his boyhood much like the character of this book, Billy Colman, roaming the Ozarks of northeastern Oklahoma with his bluetick hound. A straightforward, shoot-from-the-hip storyteller with a searingly honest voice, Rawls is well-loved for this powerful 1961 classic and the award-winning novel Summer of the Monkeys. In Where the Red Fern Grows, Billy and his precious coonhound pups romp relentlessly through the Ozarks, trying to "tree" the elusive raccoon. In time, the inseparable trio wins the coveted gold cup in the annual coon-hunt contest, captures the wily ghost coon, and bravely fights with a mountain lion. When the victory over the mountain lion turns to tragedy, Billy grieves, but learns the beautiful old Native American legend of the sacred red fern that grows over the graves of his dogs. This unforgettable classic belongs on every child's bookshelf. (Ages 9 and up) --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Review

*AudioFile Earphones Award
*Golden Headset Award

"Heald is wonderful with this action and emotion-laden story. An excellent selection for family listening."

--Review

"An exciting tale of love and adventure you'll never forget."
--School Library Journal (School Library Journal ) --This text refers to the School & Library Binding edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 10 and up
  
• Hardcover
• Publisher: Perfection Learning (March 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812416961
• ISBN-13: 978-0812416961
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,505 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #205,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 98 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Much more than a story about a boy and his dogs. December 5, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Audio Cassette

Although it has been nearly two weeks since I finished listening to the tape of Where the Red Fern Grows, I am fighting to choke back the tears even now. I plan to order several copies for Christmas gifts.

Yes it is a wonderful epic adventure story about a boy and his dogs and their heroic devotion to each other. And yes, it is so well read that you live every moment right alongside Billy and Old Dan and Little Ann. But, like most great novels, it is much more.

I am a dog lover, a college teacher, and a retired field grade Army officer. I loved the book not only for the captivating story, but also for the slice of Americana that it captures and preserves. It is a time capsule of a way of life, of what made this nation great. The breadth, depth, and magnitude of the love, devotion, responsibility, integrity, courage, and tenacity of the characters is awesome. It was a simpler time, when modest, humble, ordinary people were heroes in their own right, but could not imagine being any other way.

If this story doesn't burst your heart with joy and then rip it out with painful agony, you are dead and worse.

If you think you're dead, it will awaken and electrify feelings you didn't know you had.

If you are looking for answers, you will find them all in this simple little tale of perfectly ordinary and unassuming heroes of epic stature.

74 of 78 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book! October 26, 2003

By Kim F.

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Billy lives in the Ozarks and wants 2 hunting dogs. He saves for 2 years, then sends away to get 2 puppies. Once the puppies arrive - Old Dan and Little Ann - Billy begins to live his dream, never realizing that more is happening than he is aware of.

This is a wonderful story of the love a boy has for his dogs & the freedoms of childhood. However, Billy has some experiences that take him from childhood into being an adult. Some he is aware of but others are more subtle.

Despite the story being about a boy, girls can relate to a lot of the emotions as well. Adults can more fully appreciate the more subtle storylines.

I highly recommend this book but suggest that you keep plenty of tissues handy.

59 of 63 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Overwhelming Puppy Love February 27, 2007

By Charlotte A. Hu

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read this book years ago when I was in elementary school, but now, nearly 40, I decided to relax while listening to the audio book. I sat at the kitchen table, assembling a jigsaw puzzle while the narrator once again described a young boy so desperate for hunting hounds that he saved for two years, and by the time he walked the 30 miles to pick up his hard-earned hounds, his feet scratched from picking berries to sell for 10 or 15 cents a batch to raise the incredibly high goal of $50 for his precious dogs.

This story is such a great tale of true grit, determination, hard work and the idea that all things are possible if you set yourself to the task. The things the boy learned and experienced with his hounds and his own sense of loyalty to his family and his dogs are the kind of character building stories that every child, and every 40-year-old should experience.

I confess I've always admired dogs ... their loyalty, dedication and wish I could emulate the character that a good dog naturally exhibits. This is one of a group of stories like Lassie and Ol' Yeller about dedicated dogs.

Buy it for every child that you hope will develop true grit.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars simply everything you could want in a book December 1, 1999

By Matt

Format:Audio Cassette

This book is without a doubt the most phenominal book I have ever read. The first time I read it, I fell in love with it. I think I've read it twelve times. I'll never get tired of Old Dan and Little Ann. The story is so touching and adventurous and loving and heartbreaking all at the same time, you can't help but feeling like a wet towel when you are done. You get so involved. I recommend this book to anyone of all ages. If you don't, you will be missing out on one of the all time great books. Trust me, you will enjoy.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Once upon a time when I was a little girl July 9, 2004

By spring tail bouncy tigger

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I hate it when a reviewer gives the story away, so I won't. Safe to say, though, that when I was a little girl, I read a book in one night, under the covers with a flashlight. That book, of course, was WTRFG. I just re-read it again after 20 some-odd years. I am surprised to find that I cried as hard as I did as when I was 9. I was once again, so engrossed that I read it in one night, ignoring the fact that I had to work the next day. It is a beautiful story, a timeless one. A childhood favorite. I am amazed that it didn't win a Newberry Honor medal, or some other kind of award. This is one of the books that helped instill a loving of reading at an early age. A GEM, don't miss it. A story about a young boy on the brink of manhood and his love for his pups....whom he worked so hard for. You will laugh and cry, at age 9, 29, or 99. Buy it for your kids, and rea it for yourself.

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Book March 22, 2000

By MATTHEW

Format:Paperback

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls tells the story of a young boy named Billy growing up in the rural Ozark Mountains during the depression. Billy's family is poor but proud of the simple life they live. Billy's dream is to own a pair of coon hounds. His family does not have the money to buy Billy any hunting dogs. So Billy sets out to work and save enough money to buy the dogs himself. His Grandfather encourages him and even agrees to keep Billy's plan a secret from his parents. He works at all sorts of odd jobs and saves every penny he can get his hands on in an old tin can. By the end of the summer he has enough money to buy a pair of pups. He sees an advertisement in a magazine for quality coon hound pups and his grandfather helps him to order them. Billy has to walk to town when his dogs arrive. On the way home they have an encounter with a cougar. Billy names his pups Old Dan and Little Ann. He works hard to train them to hunt. Billy enters a hunting competition and after enduring a number of set backs he wins the gold cup. Through all of his adventures with Old Dan and Little Ann Billy learns many valuable lessons about life. The author, Wilson Rawls, brings to life the time and place of his story in Where the Red Fern Grows. I enjoy hunting and working with dogs in the field, so I was able to relate to Billy's love of his dogs and the land. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any reader.