Where the Red Fern Grows Lesson Plan

Were you surprised that Billy has never been back to the Ozarks?

Where the Red Fern Grows is told primarily through flashback, with adult Billy Colman remembering his life growing up in the Ozarks. The setting plays such a crucial role it is almost a character itself, and it obviously has a strong impact on Billy. As such, were students surprised he's never returned once his family moved away? Can they think of reasons why he might never have come back? Travel was not as easy in the 1930s as it is today. And Billy's family had to save up money to move to the city; perhaps they never had the money to return, just for a visit.

Do you think Billy ever got another dog?...