Where the Red Fern Grows
by Wilson Rawls
Classics, Fiction, Young-Adult, Historical-Fiction, Middle-Grade, Animals
Billy, Old Dan, and Little Ann—a boy and his two dogs… A loving threesome, they ranged the dark hills and river bottoms of Cherokee County. Old Dan had the brawn, Little Ann had the brains—and Billy had the will to train them to be the finest hunting team in the valley. Glory and victory were coming to them, but sadness waited too. And close by was the strange and wonderful power that’s only found… An exciting tale of love and adventure you’ll never forget.
Recommendations from Common Sense Media
Age Recommendation: 9+
What Parents Need to Know:
Parents need to know that Wilson Rawls’ classic coming-of-age novel Where the Red Fern Grows is the story of Billy, a boy in the Ozarks during the Great Depression. Billy gets a pair of coonhounds as puppies and raises them to be exceptional hunting dogs. Billy exhibits excellent values of loyalty, patience, and devotion to his pets. However, the book includes detailed descriptions of hunting, killing, and skinning animals, as well as a gory description of a boy falling on an ax. Some scenes are quite bloody, and others are emotionally painful. This book may be difficult to take for sensitive animal-loving readers. Where the Red Fern Grows was made into a film in 1974, and again in 2003.
Educational Value: 1/5
Readers will learn about the way hunting dogs are trained, and get a glimpse at rural life in the Ozark Mountains in Oklahoma during the Great Depression.
Positive Messages: 3/5
If you work hard for something, you will value it more. Also, the bond between dog and master is deep and profound.
Positive Role Models: 4/5
Billy is honest, noble, and as faithful as his dogs, and he perseveres against daunting obstacles. Billy also has great examples to look up to in his hardworking and caring father, and his kind and devoted grandpa.
Violence & Scariness: 4/5
Billy’s mother uses a switch to punish him. Billy is beaten by other children. There are many instances of trapping, hunting, wounding, and killing animals — some more graphic than others. Billy’s younger sisters are upset when they see their dad club a raccoon to death. A boy is killed accidentally when he falls on an ax. Animals fight, and there are graphic descriptions of their injuries.
Sex, Romance & Nudity: n/a
n/a
Language: 1/5
“Damn” appears once, and “hell” is used a few times. The word “bitch” is used as the correct name for a female dog.
Products & Purchases: n/a
n/a
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking: 1/5
An adult smokes a pipe; alcohol is taken on a trip, though drinking is not depicted.
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