Nothing beats a book about a man’s best friend, dogs. It may have taken us a long while to do a book review about man and his best friend or friends. That is why we will be reviewing Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls.
When Billy Colman sees a dog come under attack by the neighborhood dogs, he comes to its rescue. Colman takes the dog home so he can tend to his wounds. The attack makes him remember his childhood that started when he wanted two dog.
Ten-year-old Billy Colman wants two hunting dogs but his father cannot afford them. So Billy does what any other kid would do; save money. After two years, Billy finally places the order for his two dogs. But they are a long distance away and Billy decides to sneak out to retrieve his new dogs.
After that, Billy bonds with his two new dogs Old Dan and Little Ann. They can not be separated and are trained too hunt raccoons. Bill and his dogs become famous as the best hunters in town and enter a competition to prove that despite their age, they are the best.
It is a simple tale but it is very moving. Rawls understands the bonds kids have with dogs and how important it is to them. Not many novels capture the beauty of the journey together and Rawls has managed to do just that.
When the novel was first published in 1961, it didn’t sell many books. As time passed, the novel began selling and by 1974, it sold over 90,000 copies. Now, it is a required reading in most schools and has sold over 6 million copies.
If you haven’t read the novel, then I recommend you do so. Some stories are a must read and Where the Red Fern Grows is one of them.