Where the Red Fern Grows (Wilson Rawls)

Some things withstand the test of time better than others.  When I was a boy, I recalled loving Where the Red Fern Grows.  That was 25 years ago, though, and many things I enjoyed at the time (like the A-team,  He-man, etc.) seem rather dated (and cheesy) now.  I decided to read the book again as part of my American reading list- and I enjoyed it every bit as much as I did as a child.

Where the Red Fern Grows is the story of a boy named Billy (who lives in the Ozarks of eastern Oklahoma) and his two coon-hunting hounds, Old Dan and Little Ann.  The story follows Billy as he begs his parents feverishly for the animals, saves for years to buy them himself (when it becomes clear his parents' can't afford it), walks 20 miles one-way to pick them up, trains them diligently in the ways of the hunt, and delights in their love and abilities.  That's the story at a high level (avoiding spoilers), but there's another element here that makes this story top-notch.

What appealed to me 25 years ago- and still does- are the overall themes of the story.  They are as follows:
1) The joys of childhood in a simpler age. 
The story is told by an old Billy, whose chance encounter with a lost dog makes him recall his own hunting dogs decades prior.  From that point, Billy writes the story as he remembered it as a young boy- and I loved that.  You see the hopes, joys, fears, and love a young poor country boy experiences in his life in the mountains.  He doesn't want affluence, comfort, or 'stuff'- he just wants dogs.  I was touched (and ashamed) at what life has become for so many of us in modern society- a life of unsatisfiable materialistic ambition.  We get little/no joy out of the little things.  Not so, Billy- his dogs and the surrounding countryside are his joys, and he delights in them.    
2) Perseverance.  
Billy works for years to save enough for those dogs, then walks for miles to get then, then works for years to train them.  The dogs, in turn, 'repay' Billy by become the best- and most enduring- coon hunters the region has seen. 
3) Love.
Billy loves his dogs- and his dogs love him (and each other).  They're in it together, all the time.  They provide, protect, and sacrifice for each other.  It's touching and soul-rending.

After reading this, I'm so tempted to buy a dog (or two) for my son, because a boy needs a dog, and a dog needs a boy.

Rating: A+