Woody's Words: Woodrow Wilson Rawls and Where the Red Fern Grows (Hardcover)
by Lisa Jean LaBanca Rogers
Many children have read where the red fern grows, in high school. Others have watched the movies. But this book brings to the reader the real story of the author and the difficulty of his life, from childhood, to the great depression. the books shows children that dreams of youth do not have to be for gotten. It teaches that learning does not have to be done in your youth but through out the life. Most of all a little support is all a great story needs.

Heartwarming and inspiring - this nonfiction picture book is a great read aloud to inspire other children! I personally didn’t know this famous authors story, but as someone who was so moved by The Red Fern Grows I was definitely intrigued to read this and so glad that I did. This is a great story for any child to read, especially if they don’t believe in themselves as readers, writers, or students. Woody’s story demonstrates that with passion and perseverance, anyone can make their dreams come true. This would be such a great read aloud for the classroom, especially if the class is familiar with his famous novel. I would definitely recommend this book for many.

I reached this book with no prior knowledge of Where the Red Fern Grows. I experienced this book through the eyes of someone who has a young child who loves biographies. The story, through beautiful and cozy visuals, provided an example of following your passion. Decisions that lead to following your calling and seeing the ripples reach others' lives. I would recommend this book to elementary and possibly middle school teachers. The book can be used as a read-aloud to students before a creative writing unit or a literature writing unit.

It's been awhile since I last read "Where the Red Fern Grows" but it still makes me smile when I remember it. Smile and feel the urge to reach for a box of tissues. That said, I must admit to knowing next-to-nothing about author Woodrow Wilson Rawls prior to reading this book. I'm now feeling the urge to dig out my old copy of the story (with some tissues handy) as I read it again with fresh eyes and more knowledge about how it came to be.

Whether you've read "Red Fern" or not, I don't want to divulge too much of this book about it's author. Teacher friends, it should be a must. Same with dog fanatics everywhere. A thoughtful, insightful look into what made Rawls a writer. It wasn't an easy life. In fact, he spent some time in jail but it ultimately sounds like wife Sophie was his savior and inspiration. A budget analyst for the Atomic Energy Commission, she was not just his biggest booster but typist, proofreaders, editor, and, well, much more.

Rawls beloved dog book was first published in the highly regarded Saturday Evening Post before appearing in full book form. While barely educated himself, Rawls, a true story-teller, made thousands of promotional appearances, frequently at schools in front of children. It sounds like their words of appreciation only fueled his drive to write. Is the story 100% true? You'll have to read the book to find out. You won't regret it. While aimed at children from 7-10, my hunch is dog and book people of all ages will find it a good read. There's a lengthy bibliography at the end for those who want to take a deeper dive as well as, in addition to the illustrations, both b/w and color photographs. It was a plus to note the contributions of family members who knew Rawls throughout. Thanks #AstraPublishingGroup for allowing me this early peek at this intriguing, delightful story. It brought back many memories and I loved the inclusion of a photo of the statue of the book's Billy Coleman and his hounds that stands at the Idaho Falls Public Library.

Where the Red Fern Grows is one of the books I hate most. I hate it so much because I love it. The reason I hate it is for the event towards the end that gives away the story. I am a true believer that that should happen in books. But learning about the author Woody, and how Call of the Wild was what led him to reading and writing stories. His own story was enlightening. That you can be no one, you can be in and out of jail, you can be less educated than you think you should be and still touch the hearts of everyone by telling a good story. I think Woody would be proud of this story. I like how the author inserts real quotes from Woody, and I think the illustrator found the heart of Woody ‘s life that he would’ve enjoyed seeing.

This title will find a lifelong place in picture book biographies. Although many students may not know of the classic Where The Red Fern Grows, the story of Woody’s connection to one particular book that leads him to his true passion of writing, will be a welcome one for educators and reluctant readers. Woody’s resiliency and struggles provide readers with a fallible yet talented and human writer that despite his own doubts found a way to follow his dreams.

I read Where the Red Fern Grows for school in eighth grade. I loved the characters. I loved the emotion. I loved the adventure. It was probably my favorite book I read that year.

Until today though, I didn't know anything about the author. He really has a fascinating story, and this book did a very good job of covering all of the major events in his life. The illustrations were also very well done and complemented the story well. I loved that it included quotes from the author throughout the book. That was a really nice touch!

One thing that really stuck out to me is how crazy it is that he was just hiding his stories in a trunk for so many years! What a shame it would have been if his books had never been released into the world. It makes me think that I should do more research on other authors. Sometimes it's hard to envision the effort and the heartache and the passion that goes into writing books. It's not always easy! I'm starting to think that Children's books about authors should become a trend. Who agrees with me???

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC of Woody's Words. I learned so much!

My eleven year old son read this book. He did not know a lot of information about the author of "Where the Red Fern Grows" so he liked learning about his childhood. It taught you to be self sufficient to achieve success.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to preview this book.

This is the book behind the beloved book Where The Red Fern Grows. It's the story of a boy living in hard times whose mom read library books to him. After he learned to read, he even learned to write despite having neither paper nor pencil and made a life for himself and his wife based on that book.
I feel that this is a Must Read whether you've read his book or not.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital Galley on Thorium PDF from Astra Publishing House | Calkins Creek via NetGalley. Pub Date Sep 09, 2025 *****review
#WoodysWords by @lisaljrogers and @susan_reagan @astrapublishinghouse #Calkins Creek #nonfiction #wheretheredferngrows #wilsonrawls #hounddog #doglover #dogsofinstagram #kidsbooks #picturebooks @childrensbookcouncil #NetGalley @redfernfestival #Cherokeenation

Great book! Who would have thought to write a kids' book about "Where the Red Fern Grows" author Woodrow Wilson Rawls? This author did, and it resulted in a richly interesting and highly unique story. I especially liked the layout of this book, where there was a few paragraphs of storytelling, and then a quote from Woody himself. This, in my opinion, made for a more personal reading experience and, although it was a small detail, it added a lot to the overall book. Additionally, the illustrations clearly had a lot of thought put into them, and they were the perfect way to add vivid life to Woody's story. What's even better, I think that the way the illustrator made use of colors and lines was spectacular, and I thought that it gave a subtle nod to the story's time period. Bravo, bravo!!

Like many others, I'm familiar with Where the Red Fern Grows -- but I knew nothing about Wilson Rawls himself before this book. What a determined, brilliant man!

Woody's Words tells the story of young Wilson, just trying to figure out his way in the world during the Great Depression while absolutely loving the art of writing. As he grows up and life gets rougher, he begins to doubt that anyone will want to read his work or that he's even good at it. But with the help of the woman he loves, their team effort results in a bestseller known the world over.

Alongside beautiful illustrations, this book is a worthy tribute. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

It is hard to write just the right note of enough information and not too much when writing a picture book biography. And this one nailed that balance. And I wanted to go read Where the Red Fern Grows all over again and weep even hard this time because I have some backstory to go with the book now. Even my two year old sat through this book and found it entertaining.

Thanks to Astra House for the digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Woody, an uneducated county boy, wanted to nothing but roam the hills and fields. That was until his Mama read him “The Call of the Wild”. He loved this story so much that it inspired him to learn how to read and write himself. He did not have pen and paper so he resorted to sticks in the sand. He now was determined to write his own story. Through his many years, writing became an escape of reality for Woody. He ended up giving up on writing his story as life got in the way. Through another struggle time, Woodys had his wife’s support in writing his dream story. The boy who learned to read and write with a stick and dirt published his story, not just a story a BESTSELLER story. This story shows that just because you have less, it doesn’t mean you cannot make it into MORE.

It was a honor to be able to read this story as my grandfathers nickname was Woody. This story related to him in more than one way which gave me such a good reading connection to this book. I will be buying this book for the family as soon as it’s published.

Most of us know a reluctant reader: a person who is not particularly inclined to spend time in the company of books. One of the most talented writers of the twentieth century was one such child. Rawls loved the outdoors. He didn't have access to a lot of reading material and (quite honestly) wasn't interested. Not until his mother read Jack London's Call of the Wild aloud to him did he fall hard for stories, and begin to dream of becoming a writer himself. With no traditional schooling, and no paper or pencil to be found, Rawls would write with a stick in the dirt, describing the sounds and sights of the natural world around him. As he grew older, he sourced paper bags from trash bins and carefully unfolded them to use as writing paper. He began saving his stories (including one about a young boy and his dogs) but eventually lost his nerve to keep going. He knew that his spelling was abysmal, parts of his writing felt personal, and he was afraid that somebody might stumble onto his words.

The fear that many creatives feel when it comes to sharing their work—and exposing their own imperfections—is deeply, deeply relatable.

If it weren't for Rawls's wife, those words of his would never have amounted to anything more than a nondescript pile of ashes. When he finally opened up to her about his secret desire to write, she supported him emotionally, financially, and unconditionally. It's just such a beautiful picture of love triumphing over fear.

I love Where the Red Fern Grows, and I love Rogers's book about the man who wrote it.

I give my HEARTFELT recommendation of this commendable work of children's non-fiction, and hope that many parents, children, and educators will read it.