The story begins as Billy Coleman, a middle-aged man, rescues a stray hound; the event reminds him of his childhood, which is revealed through flashback. Billy grew up in the Ozark Mountains on a little farm with his parents and three sisters. His only wish was to have a pair of hunting dogs. Though he is offered no help from his poor parents, he earns the money $50 himself and walks over twenty miles to Talaqua to fetch them at a station in the large town. As hunting season starts, Billy and the dogs prove to each other their skill in chasing "coons," prompting the neighbor boys, the Pritchards, to challenge them to capture a wise old coon.
After the younger of the dogs, Little Ann, figures out the old coon's trick and is captured, the Pritchards' old bluetick hound attacks both dogs. The hound dies after being fought off. One of the Pritchards tries to exact revenge upon Billy's dogs with an ax but falls on it and dies. Several weeks later, Billy's Grandpa enters him into a championship raccoon hunt, pitting Billy against grown men and the finest hounds in all the country. Little Ann wins the beauty pageant at this hunt, earning a little silver cup. Billy, Old Dan, and Little Ann win the hunt and receive the championship gold cup as well as a jackpot. With the money Billy's hounds have earned, his parents decide to move from the country to the town in order for the children to have a proper education. He takes his hounds out one evening and encounters a mountain lion, which the hounds fight to protect Billy. Old Dan is wounded; he dies despite emergency surgery.
With her companion gone, Little Ann loses her will to live and she dies lying by his grave. Billy's mother reveals to him that she and Billy's father had planned to let Billy remain with his dogs at Grandpa's place, since they knew how much he loved his dogs. However, she says that the Lord hates to see a family separated, and that this is a sign from Him to help the family stay together. As the family is about to move out the following spring, Billy visits their grave one last time. At the place where they were buried a sacred red fern grows. Billy recalls a local legend about how two Native American children had gotten lost in a storm and frozen to death lying next to each other. They were found in the spring time with a beautiful red fern growing over their bodies. It was said that only an angel could plant the seed of a red fern. The whole family is in awe of this rare and unique plant, and they carry the memory of the red fern with them to town. So they move to town. So far in his life, Billy never returns to the Ozarks but in his memories, he will always be with his two dogs.
This heart felt novel is being taught by Ms. Jacobson and has the white group is hooked. Skills covered with this novel include: vocabulary, analogies, syllables, adverbs, subject/verb agreement, compare and contrast, identifying the main idea, comprehension, and personal response journals.
