ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
BIOGRAPHIES
Rogers, Lisa

Woody's Words: Woodrow Wilson Rawls and Where the Red Fern Grows

32 pp. | Calkins/Astra | September, 2025 | Trade ISBN 9781662680298 $18.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Susan Reagan . 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.
Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2025

RELATED 

BIOGRAPHIES

Saving American Beach
by King, Heidi Tyline
BIOGRAPHIES

Violet and Daisy
by Miller, Sarah
BIOGRAPHIES

Notes from a Young Black Chef
by , Onwuachi, Kwame & Stein, Joshua David
BIOGRAPHIES

Dr. Fauci
by Messner, Kate
BIOGRAPHIES

Indelible Ann
by Browne, Meghan P.
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?