This
story was about Billy, a boy with a terrible dog-wanting disease. He would keep
asking his parents for two coon hounds. First of all, a coon is another word
for raccoon. Although he was an expert on trapping, he couldn’t catch one coon.
But when his dream of having two coon dogs finally came true, Billy found
himself a champion coon hunter with his dogs. He named them Old Dan and Little
Ann. Billy also found that the dogs would refuse to do anything if they weren’t
together.
Their
coon hunting became so good that they even entered and won a championship coon
hunt. The happiness did not last long though. One night, while coon hunting,
they encountered a mountain lion. Old Dan was severely injured before they
killed the lion. Old Dan died from his wounds soon afterward. Little Ann moped
for days and died of grief. The boy learned life must move on. He and his
family moved to a nearby town for the kids’ education and experiences. On the
day they were about to move, the boy spotted a sacred red fern growing between
the dogs’ graves. The red fern was considered sacred because in an old Cherokee
tale, a Native American boy and girl froze to death in a blizzard. In the
spring following that, their bodies were found with the red fern growing
between them. It is said that only angels can plant the red fern.
My
favorite part was after the coon hunting contest, Billy came home with a gold
cup, silver cup, and a box of money. The family was so happy that they had a
huge celebration and feast. It made my heart content. It was also so vivid that
I could practically see the dining table. Ham, cornbread, fried potatoes. The
happy faces and the enlightening smiles.
I
loved this tale of two dogs and a boy. Even if very bad things happen, life has
to move on! I hope you will read this book sometime soon and enjoy it as much
as I did.
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