Big Red

By Jim Kjelgaard

Animal: Dog

Rating: 4 1/4 stars

Reviewed by Noelle

In this classic tale, Danny and his father live in a small cabin in the woods near the land of a wealthy man, Mr. Haggin. Mr. Haggin uses Danny for small odd jobs, like tracking down his livestock that has gone astray, but mostly Danny and his father live by trapping in the woods. They had always owned hound dogs, but one day, Danny spies Mr. Haggin's new dog--an Irish Setter by the name of Champion Sylvester Boy. Danny and the Setter are immediately drawn to each other, and Danny renames the valuable dog Red. Slowly, Mr. Haggin begins to introduce Danny to the world of dog showing with Red, and Danny glimpses a life beyond the small simple one he has always known. But then Danny and his father get the job of tracking down Old Majesty--a huge grizzly bear that's been preying on everyone's livestock for a decade. But when it comes to a showdown between Danny and Old Majesty, Red refuses to be left out. This is an exciting adventure tale as well as a wonderful story about a boy and his dog. Readers will also want to continue with Outlaw Red and Irish Red for more adventures of Danny and his dogs.