State Library of Kansas  :  Kansas Center for the Book  :  Letters About Literature  :  Past Winners

2006 Winner: Anna Petrow, Mission Hills (Level 2)

Book Title: Where the Red Fern Grows

Book Author: Wilson Rawls

Dear Wilson Rawls,

When I was 8 years old, I read your book for the first time, and I really understood what Billy was going through. I had wanted a dog my whole life. My sister and I had tried every sympathy trick we knew on my parents. We had promised to do all the work; train the dog, feed the dog, walk the dog, and anything else we had to do. We finally got the dog, and I was as happy as Billy was when he got Old Dan and Little Ann.

Of course, as the years went on, we broke our promises. We were not responsible with the dog and we didn’t work as hard as we should’ve on training her. My mom ended up doing most of the work. However, the whole experience never seemed as great as Billy’s in Where the Red Fern Grows. It was when I read the book for the second time, a year ago, I finally got it.

Billy worked for two years. Two full years; that’s more motivation and hard work than almost any kid his age has ever gone through. I was glad when I didn’t have to work as hard for my dog as Billy did, but it was later that I realized the experience wasn’t as sweet. If you work for something that you really want, and you work hard for it, then it is much more rewarding when you get it. If you don’t put much effort into working for something, the special quality of that something fades away quickly. Billy, however, got the full experience. His hard work really paid off. So when I heard about the Europe trip with my school this upcoming summer, I decided I would go.

I am now working like Billy did to go to Europe. I have to make $3,000 dollars to go, and it will be hard work, but I know it will be worth it. I sincerely thank you for writing this book. It helped me realize the value of hard work, but most importantly, that it pays off. Hopefully, I can have as much adventure on the Europe trip as Billy did with his hounds in the Cherokee Hills.

Sincerely,
Anna Petrow

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