Where the Red Fern Grows

Where the Red Fern Grows
 by Wilson Rawls

Bibliography

Rawls, W. (1996). Where the red fern grows. New York, NY: Delacourt Press. ISBN 0385323301

Summary

Billy Coleman is a hard worker:  He spends two years earning money to fulfill his heart's desire -- to own to red hunting hounds.  Where the Red Fern Grows is the story of Billy's dream, its fulfillment, and its conclusion.  Along the way, the reader watches as Billy grows into a man through both joy and pain and learns about the sad legend of the red fern.

Critical Analysis

The characters play the central role in Where the Red Fern Grows.  Billy Coleman starts the book as an eleven year old with a big dream he is willing to work for.  He is surrounded by supportive adults, a father who trusts him, a mom who worries over him, and a grandfather who helps him with his plans.  There are also other archetypal characters who play minor roles, such as the bully who gets his comeuppance.  Billy is easy to identify with even though most who read this story will never walk a literal mile in Billy's shoes.  He lets teens dream of days gone by and also shadows the independence that teens are growing into even though it looks different today than when Billy was a boy.

The setting is also vital to this story which richly protrays the theme of growing up.  It is hard to imagine these events taking place anywhere else than the Ozark Mountains.  The plot is fast paced and engaging, which is likely why this book holds a place in the hearts of teen readers still, even though some readers may balk at the hunting scenes.

Review Excerpts

*An exciting tale of love and adventure you'll never forget. --School Library Journal

*Arguably the greatest boy-and-dog story of all time, this is, for many kids, the book that introduces them to the power of literature. No one, adult or child, gets through this book without weeping, usually more than once, yet it never feels manipulative or trite -- it's a good, honest cry. --Common Sense Media


Connections

* Harrison Earl, age 13, says, "It's a real tear-jerker.  I had a tear jerked and I usually laugh at the sad or scary bits."

* Expert from Where the Red Fern Grows:
      I sat down and called my dogs to me.  With tears in my eyes, I told them that I just couldn't cut the big tree down.
     I was trying hard to make them understand when I heard someone coming.  It was Grandpa in his buggy.
     I'm sure not one in the world can understand a young boy like his grandfather can.  He drove up with a twinkle in his eyes and a smile on is whiskery old face.
     "Hello!  How are you gettin' along?" he boomed.
     "Not so good, Grandpa," I said.  "I don't think I can cut it down.  It's just too big.  I guess I'll have to give up."
     "Give up!" Grandpa barked. "Now I dont' want to hear you say that.  No, sir, that's the last thing I want to hear. Don't ever start anything you can't finish."
     "I don't want to give up, Grandpa," I said, "but it's just to big and my strength's gone.  I'm give out."
     "Course you are," he said. "You've been going at it wrong.  To do work like that a fellow needs plenty of rest and food in his stomach."
     "How am I going to get that, Grandpa?" I asked. "I can't leave the tree.  If I do, the coon will get away."
      "No, he won't," Grandpa said. "That's what I cam down here for.  I'll show you how to keep that coon in the tree."

* Where the Red Fern Grows is also available on audio and as a movie.