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.