Friday, November 16, 2012

Where the Red Fern Grows

by Wilson Rawls

This is one of those classics that never gets old.  A young boy (10) decides he needs a dog.  Or, more specifically, two coon hounds.  He earns the money by doing odd jobs.  It takes him a year, but he keeps at it.  At last he gets the long awaited dogs.  Learning to love and care for his dogs helps Billy Coleman learn who he is and who he wants to be.
Audience
Age 12 or so should be fine.  This is for people who love animals and or tear jerkers in a modernish (1960's) context.


What I Love:
I love that the story is all about love.  Billy comes from a loving family, and he is excited to take care of his dogs. The crux of the story is about how the two dogs take care of each other.  And once again, we have smart adults.

Cautions:
It's a slow story, not action packed at all.  SPOILER!!!  It's a very sad story.  One of the dogs is attacked and the other dies trying to save his companion.  It's a sob story that will probably leave you wrung out.

No comments:

Post a Comment