Watch it every couple years. Has a different meaning now that I have a boy. One could only wish for their son to grow up to be like Billy Coleman. It did just dawn on me that his mom prayed for his dogs to die so they could move to Tulsa. Wretched woman.

I read the book for the first time when I was about 10 and watched the movie soon after. By the time I was 12 I'd saved enough money to buy a redbone coonhound. I'm still saving money for redbone coonhounds 30 years later, lol.

NO book OR movie ever had as much of an impression on me as that one did. I usually HATE movies based on books if I've read the book first, but this one was one of a few exceptions! The movie is every bit as good as the book. I usually watch the movie and read the book every year.

I agree that I did not care for Billy's mother, in the book, OR the movie, but I don't think she prayed for his dogs to die. She prayed for her family to be able to move to the city together, and felt that God answered that prayer by allowing his dogs to die. And THAT part rubbed me wrong too, but I still never got out of it that she prayed for them to die.

It's a great book. I read it at a young age and have had the opportunity to read to each of my children and now my grandchildren. I've read it so many times I practically have it memorized.

Never watched the movie.

In defense of the mother. (Movie only)

The Men had each other, they had the dogs, Grandpa, Coon hunting Competitions, etc. Billys Mother probably felt alone and isolated, away from friends, family. We don't know what she was promised when she was married but I'm guessing it wasn't a isolated shack in the woods with a hard days work awaiting her daily.

Good movie

When I was a kid I thought every word of that story was truth. Now that I am grown I still like it but don't believe every word. I have no doubt the author wrote it to sell it. Great book and movie. I like the walkers in the movie. Walkers today are brown and black. I think a lot of houndsmen are unaware white and black is where the breed came from. I like too how the two brothers buy chewing tobacco from grandpa telling him its for their dad. Sure seemed like grandpa knew better to me. I remember those days when a sixth grader could still buy cigarettes' at a gas station. Kids smoking is a bad idea but freedom is the way things should be. Its mom and dads responsibility to keep kids away from ethanol and tobacco. Not a store clerk.

"Ruby"
As a pup.

Absolutely the best novel ever written!

Wilson Rawls lived the end of his life in my home town Cornell WI. He was great friends with my neighbor John who taught me to trap. I visited with him often. Very nice person and good man. We talked of the book and his writing, his writing was the recollection of his life, and events and how they occurred. Not a lot of Hollywood or book sales thoughts went into it.
My thoughts are Mom may have prayed for the dogs death, her husband and children were more important than animals placed on the earth for us. If God took the dogs due to his Moms prayers then that Was Gods plan. We pray for things all the time we get and do not get. God obviously felt the family was to be together.
Have a great day!

I day dreamed of being Billy Coleman. Spent many days running creek banks pretending to be him. LOL

I agree both movie and book, I think when he wrote it Rawls captured the isolated farm wife to a T, living in a remote location is far easier for men and boys as a general thing then for women something we tend to overlook, though there are notable exceptions

Frankly the book and movie are hard for me to read and watch because I know how it feels to loose a good dog all to well and they bring all that emotion back, but I think every kid should read the book at some time, but I have to wonder why all these good books about dogs always end with the dog dead, Where the red fern grows, Old yeller, Shilo all dead in the end

One good book where the dog didn’t die is Hound Dog Man by Fred Gipson same author who wrote Old Yeller, if you like Where the red fern grows, or Old Yeller I would bet you will like it, and I promise no dead dogs in the end

Read the book and saw the movie many times. Both great!

I knew a fellow in prison and mailed him some books. He wrote me one day to say “don’t send anymore sad books”.

Wasn't there a sequel to Where The Red Fern Grows?

Yeah but it sucked.

There was also a remake which I also thought sucked.

Movie or book?

Movie don’t think there was a book sequel, I might be wrong though

The best book ever written was the Holy Bible… where the red fern grows comes in second. It was so well written that you could actually see and witness all the events. There was a remake done a few years ago that was much closer to the book than the original movie. The remake had Mac davis and Dave Matthews in it. It was hard watching it when the movie was getting close to the end,, because I knew what was about to happen.

Read the book so many times as a kid I probably wore the book out. Never watched the movie….was always afraid it would ruin my minds-eye of what I thought the story was.

That's why I almost never watch movies based on books I've really enjoyed Tray. The books are always better and you run the risk of having your take on the story ruined.