In 6th grade my teacher read my classmates and I Wilson Rawls’ Where the Red Fern Grows. I remember sitting criss-cross applesauce looking up in awe as she read me the thrilling tale of Billy Coleman’s quest to get himself two coonhounds. As Billy fell in love with his two new dogs, Little Ann and Old Dan, so did I. I fought along with Billy as he struggled to raise money in order to purchase his own two hounds. Rawls did a fantastic job by allowing the reader to feel as if we are a part of Billy’s life and allowing us to grow along with him and his hounds.

Where the Red Fern Grows begins with a narration from Billy Coleman as an adult however the majority of the book is about Billy as a kid. Billy is ten when the real story begins and his want for two coonhounds emerges. Living on a farm in the Ozark Mountains with his parents and two sisters, Billy was looking for more- specifically coonhounds. Billy eventually found an ad for two Redbone Coonhounds in Kentucky for $25 each. Yet, his family was poor and they could not get him the coonhounds he desperately wanted. Nonetheless, Billy was a determined boy. For two years Billy sold food, supplies, and bait to local fisherman in order to save $50 for two hounds. Once he had the money Bill went to his grandfather’s store. His grandfather orders his dogs for him and discovers the hounds were only $40 but the only way Billy can get his hounds is for him to go to Kentucky himself. This moment was the turning point for Billy’s life and the book definitely did not stop there.

Billy finally obtained his two coonhounds and after all the trials and tribulations he had to go through with just trying to order them, a relationship was formed. During his journey back home with his dog, Billy found a carving on a sycamore tree. It was a heart with the names Dan and Ann written in the center. Thus, Billy named his two new coonhounds Little Ann and Old Dan.

Over time, their relationship to each other just grew and grew. However, Billy did not stop there. His goal wasn’t just to get two coonhounds and keep them as pets; He raised them to become arguably the best coonhounds in the area. Over time, as Billy and his dogs caught racoon after racoon and sold the pelts to his grandfather, Billy grew as almost a celebrity. Word spread about Billy and his two dogs and even rumors began about the dynamic trio.

Again, the story does not end there, but the story deserves to be read rather than told through an article. One cannot feel the same emotion felt when reading the book and this novel in particular demands to be felt. Yet, it is important to tell how influential this book is to all ages. For the younger audience, it teaches them how important and influential literature is. In fact, at least for me, Where the Red Fern Grows was the start of my interest in literature. As for the adult audience, it teaches loyalty, love, and friendship.

This book comes with a warning however. No adult, nor child, can go through this book without weeping. Where the Red Fern Grows is an exceptional novel for dog lovers and can enhance their love for dogs even more. Throughout the novel Billy, Little Ann, and Old Dan did the impossible even to the very end of the novel and warms the heart of the reader. After my 6th grade teacher read to my class Where the Red Fern Grows, I have read it multiple times after, still clinging to every word, and weep as it touches my heart like no other book has.