Book review: Where the Red Fern Grows
Jun 30th, 2005 by Accidental Thinker
I took my kids to the library last week and as we were going to the check-out counter, I happened to see Where the Red Fern Grows (Wilson Rawls) on display. It’s a classic old favorite which occupies a very tender spot in my heart—it’s the first book I ever cried over. And I mean I bawled. I am a female who happens to be a cat lover, but this story of a boy and his hunting dogs tore me apart inside, even as a kid. I hadn’t read it in years, so I picked it up on a whim. By the time I finished the heartwarming tale of Billy and his beloved, loyal dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann, I was blubbering like a baby all over again, every bit as much as I did the first time I read it at the tender age of 11 or 12.
Billy’s pure love for his dogs and his single-minded determination to pursue his hunting dreams drive this beautifully written story to its five-hanky conclusion. It doesn’t matter that it is technically a children’s book. It’s a universal story of love and loss and realizing your dreams. Just make sure to have a box of Kleenex handy. I guarantee you will need it.
