Woody’s Words: Woodrow Wilson Rawls and Where the Red Fern Grows
by Lisa Rogers; illus. by Susan Reagan
Primary    Astra/Calkins Creek    32 pp.
9/25    9781662680298    $18.99

In early 1900s Oklahoma, young Woody Rawls’s (1913–1984) education came from the woods, fields, and riverbanks he roamed with his loyal hound dog. His mother often read aloud to him, though nothing resonated with him until a copy of Jack London’s The Call of the Wild arrived at the family’s farm. In a testament to the power of connecting readers with just the right book, the classic dog story deeply motivated Rawls: “I don’t care how long it takes me or what I have to do. Some day in my life I will write a book, and it will be a dog story.” Though Rawls faced struggle and hardship throughout his life, his perseverance and the support of his wife led to the publication of the timeless best-selling children’s classic Where the Red Fern Grows. Rogers’s (most recently Joan Mitchell Paints a Symphony, rev. 5/25) picture-book biography seamlessly weaves quotes from Rawls throughout the narrative. Reagan’s (recently The Fabulous Fannie Farmer, rev. 1/24) fluid watercolor and digitally drawn illustrations, in earthy greens and browns and rendered in an old-fashioned style, suit the subject well. Back matter contains an author’s note, including more on Rawls’s maternal lineage as Cherokee Nation citizens, and a detailed bibliography. A rare account of Rawls’s life, this will inspire young readers to persevere in pursuit of their goals.

From the November/December 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.