Review of Wilson Rawls' "Where the Red Fern Grows"

I've totally read this book before, but I just loved it so much!

Before I actually talk about the book, I would like to talk about the cover. For those of you that don't know the story, it's about a boy and his two coon hunting, redbone hounds. I borrowed this book from a friend and this was the cover:

If you don't know why I showed you this, let me explain. This cover is lovely, it really captures the essence of a raccoon hunt. The lantern, the ax... and yes, even the two labs... a yellow and a black. Wait.  I thought they were supposed to be hounds... Oops. Let's try again. So, this is what they came up with:

Not only do I think this cover is way too cartoon-y, they still didn't get it right. Sure, they got Old Dan right, but both dogs are supposed to be redbone hounds. Why is there a basset hound in this picture? This is the newest cover too, and they couldn't help but screw it up. Okay, now to my thoughts about the book:I love this book. I love the way the main character is written. I love that it is a frame story. I love the relationship that the main character, Billy, has with his family. I love Samie the cat. I seriously laugh and cry every time I read this book. There are things I had totally forgotten about... like the story of the ax. Craziness! The writing is pretty basic, so it's an easy read. I think the timeline in the book is a little skewed, but I can overlook that (unlike the cover, which is totally not Rawls fault). I would have to say that this is one of my favorite books. I just love animal books. The grandpa might be my favorite character, I wish I had known my grandpa and that he would have been like the one in the story. Problem with that is I don't live in the Ozarks and this is the 21st century... Anyway, point of the story is, I love this book. I cry every time. I laugh every time. I get totally enthralled... every time. I highly suggest everyone read it.