Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls.

4/5 rating. 282 pages.

Book #20 of 2021. Read February 27, 2021.

This is a touching classic about a young boy, Billy, and his dynamic duo of raccoon hunting dogs.

At around age ten, Billy decides that he wants desperately to get a pair of hounds. He saves up for years in order to afford them and gets two puppies who he names Old Dan and Little Ann.

With Billy’s training, these two become some of the best coon hunters in not only the Ozarks, but maybe the country. Through his many adventures, these three are an amazing team. When they finally come face-to-face with a mountain lion, it is only his dog’s selfless acts that save him.

I think just about anyone would like this book, but especially dog lovers will thoroughly enjoy not only Billy’s love for his two pups, but they’re understanding and love for him.

As a coon hunter in here says: “You can read every day where a dog saved the life of a drowning child, or lay down his life for his master. Some people call this loyalty. I don’t. I may be wrong, but I call it love – the deepest kind of love.”

Quotes:

“It’s strange indeed how memories can lie dormant in a man’s mind for so many years. Yet those memories can be awakened and brought forth fresh and new, just by something you’ve seen, or something you’ve heard, or the sight of an old familiar face.”

“If a man’s word isn’t any good, he’s no good himself.”

“You were worth it, old friend, and a thousand times over.”

#wheretheredferngrows #wilsonrawls #dogs #love #classics #pups

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