By Super Kitty
When Billy Colman, a boy growing up in the wild Ozark mountains, discovers an ad selling coon hounds, he feels as though his prayers have been answered. For years he’s longed for dogs to hunt with, and finally he has a chance to get them: it takes two years of careful saving, but at last he earns enough to buy the two puppies he’s been dreaming of. He names them Big Dan and Little Ann, and the three of them form a bond which other people wonder at. Unlikely friends they may seem, but soon Billy and his dogs become some of the most talented hunters in the mountains, gaining recognition by huntsmen young and old, and even winning a coon-hunting championship. But the untamed mountains are as dangerous as they are breathtaking, and the connection between boy and dogs is destined to be cut short…
Where the Red Fern Grows is a moving, beautiful book, a classic which I think stands out for several reasons. Unlike many books today, there are relatively few characters mentioned by name, but those who are feel extraordinarily believable and real, clearly portraying Billy’s childhood world of a small but close family in the remote, sometimes perilous Ozarks. I admittedly have little interest in dogs, hunting, and the like, yet I was pulled in by the narration and writing even before the story had really begun. The tension and excitement of hunting with hounds translated vividly into writing, bringing the stunning setting into clear focus. At moments, I felt almost as though I was there with the characters, surrounded the sounds of a forest late at night. This is the story of a boy and his hounds, of hunting and tracking, and ultimately of the friendship between humans and their beloved canine companions, one that I would recommend to readers ten and up.
When Billy Colman, a boy growing up in the wild Ozark mountains, discovers an ad selling coon hounds, he feels as though his prayers have been answered. For years he’s longed for dogs to hunt with, and finally he has a chance to get them: it takes two years of careful saving, but at last he earns enough to buy the two puppies he’s been dreaming of. He names them Big Dan and Little Ann, and the three of them form a bond which other people wonder at. Unlikely friends they may seem, but soon Billy and his dogs become some of the most talented hunters in the mountains, gaining recognition by huntsmen young and old, and even winning a coon-hunting championship. But the untamed mountains are as dangerous as they are breathtaking, and the connection between boy and dogs is destined to be cut short…
Where the Red Fern Grows is a moving, beautiful book, a classic which I think stands out for several reasons. Unlike many books today, there are relatively few characters mentioned by name, but those who are feel extraordinarily believable and real, clearly portraying Billy’s childhood world of a small but close family in the remote, sometimes perilous Ozarks. I admittedly have little interest in dogs, hunting, and the like, yet I was pulled in by the narration and writing even before the story had really begun. The tension and excitement of hunting with hounds translated vividly into writing, bringing the stunning setting into clear focus. At moments, I felt almost as though I was there with the characters, surrounded the sounds of a forest late at night. This is the story of a boy and his hounds, of hunting and tracking, and ultimately of the friendship between humans and their beloved canine companions, one that I would recommend to readers ten and up.
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