Where the Red Fern Grows — Content Guide for Parents
Found in this book
- ViolenceSupporting
- Scary contentSupporting
- ReligionBrief
- ProfanityBrief
Not found
- Race & culture
- Climate
- Sexual content
- Gender roles
- Gender & orientation
Content themes
Factual summary of themes present in this book. No opinion — just the facts.
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Summaries and source quotes for every theme.
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Religion
PRESENTContains references to prayer and church attendance. A minister character plays a supporting role in two chapters.
About this book
Read the beloved classic that captures the powerful bond between man and man’s best friend. This edition also includes a special note to readers from Newbery Medal winner and Printz Honor winner Clare Vanderpool.
Billy has long dreamt of owning not one, but two, dogs. So when he’s finally able to save up enough money for two pups to call his own—Old Dan and Little Ann—he’s ecstatic. It doesn’t matter that times are tough; together they’ll roam the hills of the Ozarks.
Soon Billy and his hounds become the finest hunting team in the valley. Stories of their great achievements spread throughout the region, and the combination of Old Dan’s brawn, Little Ann’s brains, and Billy’s sheer will seems unbeatable. But tragedy awaits these determined hunters—now friends—and Billy learns that hope can grow out of despair, and that the seeds of the future can come from the scars of the past.
Frequently asked questions
Is Where the Red Fern Grows appropriate for a 7-year-old?
Billy is beaten by other children and fights Rubin, and a mountain lion attacks the dogs and Billy; there are also many graphic scenes of hunting, wounding and killing animals. The book has bloody scenes, including a gory description of a boy falling on an ax, a mountain lion attack and emotionally painful deaths of the dogs.
Does Where the Red Fern Grows have violence?
Found (Supporting): Billy is beaten by other children and fights Rubin, and a mountain lion attacks the dogs and Billy; there are also many graphic scenes of hunting, wounding and killing animals.
Does Where the Red Fern Grows have scary content?
Found (Supporting): The book has bloody scenes, including a gory description of a boy falling on an ax, a mountain lion attack and emotionally painful deaths of the dogs.
Does Where the Red Fern Grows have religion?
Found (Brief): Billy prays for strength to fell a tree, his father says God took the dogs so the family would stay together, and Billy believes the Lord was behind the red fern growing on the dogs' graves.
Does Where the Red Fern Grows have race & culture?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does Where the Red Fern Grows have profanity?
Found (Brief): The word "damn" appears once and "hell" a few times; "bitch" is used only as the name for a female dog.
Does Where the Red Fern Grows have climate?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does Where the Red Fern Grows have sexual content?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does Where the Red Fern Grows have gender roles?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does Where the Red Fern Grows have gender & orientation?
Not found in the sources we checked.
