Book Report help_ Where the red fern grows.?

Im doin a book report on it and i need to know the main theme of this story. please give good answers. I need it ASAP. thankx

Book Report help_ Where the red fern grows.?
The summary is the following:



"...Billy lives on a farm. He wants two good coonhounds very badly, but his Papa cannot afford any. Billy works hard, selling fruit and bait to fishermen, so eventually he has enough money for the dogs. He gives the money to his grandfather, who orders the dogs for him. Billy sneaks off in the middle of the night to go to town and pick them up. While in town, other children pick on him, but he stands up for himself and is helped by the marshal. On his way home, he and his two pups sleep in a cave. Outside, they hear a mountain lion, and the pups bravely howl back. He decides to name them Old Dan and Little Ann. He can see that Old Dan is very brave, and that Little Ann is very smart.



Once home, he wants to begin training them. He has to have a raccoon hide to train them with. His grandfather shows him a way to set a trap that will catch even a clever coon. Just when he is about to give up on the traps, he catches a coon. The next day he begins to train Old Dan and Little Ann. By the time raccoon season starts in the fall, they are ready. On the first night, his dogs tree a coon in the biggest tree imaginable. Billy immediately sees that it will take days to cut down. He is determined to cut it down, because he told his dogs that if they could tree a coon he would take care of the rest. His dogs are counting on him. His parents bring him food. His grandfather shows him how to make a scarecrow, to keep the coon in the tree so he can go home and eat dinner. When the big sycamore finally falls and his dogs catch the coon, he is very proud.





He (Billy) "...goes coon hunting almost every night. His father relieves him of his chores, and Billy gives him the money from his coonskins. Sometimes, coons try to trick his dogs, and Old Dan gets into trouble. One night, Dan gets stuck in a muskrat hole. Another night, he climbs a tree. Little Ann is usually too smart to get into trouble, but one night, after the first snowfall, she falls through the ice on the river. Billy barely rescues her.



One day, Billy and his grandfather make a bet with Ruben and Rainie Pritchard, that Billy's hounds can catch the legendary "ghost coon." The Pritchard boys set out with Billy to see if Old Dan and Little Ann can catch the ghost coon. The coon leads the dogs on a long, complicated chase, and the Pritchard boys want to give up. But Billy is determined. Finally, when the dogs have the coon treed, Billy refuses to kill her. Just as Ruben starts to beat up Billy, Old Dan and Little Ann begin to attack the Pritchards' dog. Ruben runs to attack the dogs with an axe, but falls and kills himself. Billy is very distraught afterward. Finally he goes to Ruben's grave with some flowers, then feels much better.



Billy's grandfather enters Billy in a coon-hunting contest. He, his grandfather, and his father take a buggy to the contest. It is filled with adult coon hunters with expensive gear and beautiful hounds. Somehow, Little Ann wins the beauty contest on the first day. The other coon hunters are very kind to Billy. Billy and his dogs qualify for the championship round. While Billy, his papa, his grandfather, and a judge are out hunting with coons, a winter blizzard begins. They lose track of the dogs, and Billy's grandfather falls and badly sprains his ankle. They stop and build a fire as day begins to break. Soon enough, they find the dogs, covered with ice. They have gotten just enough coons to win. Everyone at the tournament cheers. Billy has also won a jackpot of 300 dollars.



Billy's mama and sisters are overjoyed. Billy keeps up his hunting. One night, however, his dogs tree a mountain lion. Old Dan howls defiantly, and the big cat attacks. Billy is horrified, and with his axe he enters the fray, hoping to save his dogs, but they end up having to save him. Eventually, the dogs defeat the mountain lion, but Old Dan is badly wounded. He dies the next day. Billy is heartbroken, but Little Ann is so sad that she loses her will to live, and dies a few days later. Billy's papa tries to tell him that it is all for the best, because with the money Billy has earned, the family hopes to move to town. Billy does not completely recover until on the day of the move; he goes to visit the dogs' graves and finds a giant red fern. According to Indian legend, only an angel can plant a red fern. Billy and his family look at the fern in awe, and he feels ready to leave for the town..."



It really is a great book and I think you would love the book!!!



Humbly posted,

Devin Willis
Reply:The red fern grows is about a boy Named Billy who really wants some hunting dogs.Billy lives near the river bottoms in Cherokee country .Well Billy finds this magazine that is left behind by some fishermen and in the Back of the is a ad for 2 redbone coon hounds pups. Well Billy remembers a passage from the Bible that is mama read to hi that says "god helps those who help themselves".Well the pups are $50. Then billy gets a K.C baking powder can.Then starts doing everything he could to earn money selling craw fish and vegetables to the fishermen and in berry season selling berries at his grandpas store and in the winter using traps to catch animals and selling their fur. After 2 years of saving money Billy gets the $50 well then Billy Grandpa sends off the money and the ad. After few days gets a letter saying the dogs will get dropped off in Talhlequah and gets $10 of change.After 2 weeks of waiting Billy gets a telegram saying the dogs are in Talhlequah Not wanting to wait anymore billy sets off that night to talhlequah not telling anyone he was going.

After some long hours Billy gets to the depot in talhlequah Billy gets his dogs.

On his way back he gets fabric for his mom and overalls for his pa and candy for his 3 Lil sisters .

Before going to his house billy stops by the river bottoms and there etched in the wood were his dogs names .the female pup name was little Ann and the males old Dan.

After a few years him and his dogs were on a bet by Rubin and his brother the bet was that If billy dogs could catch the ghost coon. Well od blue Rubin's dog attacks old Dan and Lil Ann but old Dan and Lil Ann kill him . Rubin taking billy ax starts toward the dogs and then trips the ax going in to his stomach Rubin died that night billy said he would never hunt again but a couple months later a big big coon hunt comes and billy enters Lil Ann and old Dan but during the hunt Billy's grandpa gets lost so instead of hunting coons they find his grandpa who almost died so billy would of came in last but because of what he did he got first. Well after hunting again one night in the river bottoms near Billy's home a bob cat attacks billy and old Dan saves him but then old Dans fighting the big at billy kills the at but and takes old Dan home trying to save his life. Old Dan dies and Lil Ann wont eat or drink then one day she dies.

After a few weeks Billy and his family are moving to the city billy visits the grave of his dogs and there between their graves is a red fern the legend of the red fern is that a angel plants the seed between 2 lovers body's and that they never die.
Reply:Read the book, and I'll be glad to help you with anything that isn't clear.