Where the Red Fern Grows By, Wilson Rawls ©2015HappyEdugator

Where the Red Fern Grows The novel Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls is a classic book that has been a favorite of young people for many years! If you love dogs and adventure, you are sure to enjoy this book. Be prepared to shed a few tears, though, especially if you are tender hearted. This book won the Newberry Honor Award! ©2015HappyEdugator

What is a red fern? Is there such a plant? Actually there is. The following slides will show you some actual photographs of red ferns. The beautiful red foliage really stands out against the green of the other plants around it. ©2015HappyEdugator

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What about Redbone Hounds? Yes, redbone hounds also exist in real life. Although the book is a fiction book, many things in it are based on real life. This really makes the story sound like it is a true story. ©2015HappyEdugator

A Redbone Hound Redbone hounds are used to hunt raccoons, or “coons,” so they are also known as coonhounds. ©2015HappyEdugator

Raccoon Raccoons, or “coons,” live in forests by rivers, streams, and lakes. They are nocturnal (active at night) and they are omnivores (eat vegetation and meat). They are very intelligent and their paws are very sensitive and nimble. ©2015HappyEdugator

NOTES ON THE AUTHOR AND THE BOOK Wilson Rawls was born in Oklahoma. He was taught by his mother (no formal education). Rawls always wrote stories but burned them because he didn’t think they were any good. He was encouraged by his wife and rewrote this novel in 1961. The novel is based on his childhood. The book was made into a movie in 1974. The movie had a sequel, but the book did not. ©2015HappyEdugator

THEMES OF WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS Hard work, determination, and self-denial can bring success. Rewards are dearer if they are earned. If people could learn to love each other, they wouldn’t be so selfish. A person is only as good as his or her word. Change is an inevitable part of life. There is a great design or plan to life; things happen to people for a reason. ©2015HappyEdugator

Grand Teton National Park SETTING The book begins in chapter 1 when Billy is an older man, living in Idaho, just west of the Grand Teton mountains. The time is probably in the 1970’s. He finds a stray dog that reminds him of the two dogs when he was young. Grand Teton National Park ©2015HappyEdugator

SETTING Then, in chapter 2, the story moves to the land of Billy’s childhood, about fifty years earlier, sometime in the 1920’s or ‘30’s. Billy recounts his childhood in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, on the banks of the Illinois River in Cherokee County, Oklahoma. Tahlequah, Oklahoma ©2015HappyEdugator

CHARACTERS  Billy- the teenager who develops a close relationship with his two hound dogs  Papa- Billy’s father who is beginning to treat him like a man  Mama- Billy’s mother who tries to help him with his problems and worries about him a lot  Grandpa- Billy’s grandfather who is Billy’s good friend and advisor  Little Ann- Billy’s female hound, the smaller and smarter dog  Old Dan- Billy’s male hound, who is bigger and stronger ©2015HappyEdugator

Some Items from the Time Gunny sack: a burlap bag used for carrying produce (such as potatoes, apples, or coffee). The material is very rough and scratchy. ©2015HappyEdugator

Some Items from the Time Flour sack: a white cotton bag used for carrying flour. The material was lighter and softer than burlap. People did not throw things away if they were still useful, so every kitchen probably had a few empty flour sacks on hand. ©2015HappyEdugator

Some Items from the Time KC Baking Powder Can: a common household necessity for making biscuits and cakes, baking powder was usually found in every kitchen. KC was a popular brand, and when empty, could make a useful container. ©2015HappyEdugator

Some Items from the Time Depot: a depot is also known as a train depot or station. Trains would stop here and load or unload cargo, and passengers would get on and get off. ©2015HappyEdugator

Some Items from the Time General Store: a small country store that carried a large variety of goods that filled wants and needs of the day. It was an old-fashioned one-stop shop. ©2015HappyEdugator

Some Items from the Time Horehound: a favorite old-fashioned candy made with 100 % natural horehound herb tea. These hard candies were not only good to eat. but also great for soothing a scratchy dry sore throat. At one time these could be purchased in every general store. ©2015HappyEdugator

Some Items from the Time Double bit axe: A common axe used in the early 1900’s for cutting down trees and clearing land. It had a heavy head, and usually one side was saved for jobs that would dull the blade such as cutting roots through dirt, so the other side would stay very sharp. ©2015HappyEdugator

1974 2003 There are two movie versions of the story. ©2015HappyEdugator

The author did not write a sequel to the book The author did not write a sequel to the book. However, a movie sequel was made. The sequel of the movie is about Billy, who is all grown up and returning home from WWII. He finds out that Grandpa, who is getting on in years, has bought him a gift of two redbone hounds. Will history repeat itself? ©2015HappyEdugator

Enjoy the book! You will notice many things in the book that are not in the movies. Movie-makers have to budget their money and their time, and some things are just impossible to film! That’s why books are generally better than the movies made from them – they have more details! ©2015HappyEdugator

Thank you for downloading my Where the Red Fern Grows Introduction PowerPoint. I hope that you enjoy the resource and get a lot of use out of it. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. My email address is happyedug8r@msn.com. Commercial Graphics used with permission from the following: Microsoft Design, GraphicStock.com For more teaching ideas and freebies, please click on the link to visit my blog! http://www.happyedugator.blogspot.com Also, I would love to have you follow me on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/TheHappyEdugator. Look for me on Google +, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Linked-In! Please leave feedback at My TPT Store. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/HappyEdugator. Remember, you will earn credits for leaving me feedback which goes toward any future TPT purchases. Thank you and happy teaching! Deborah Hayes aka HappyEdugator ©2015HappyEdugator