One of my favorite authors growing up. Enjoyed re-reading that ( )

One of my favorite authors growing up. Enjoyed re-reading that ( )

This one is even more convenient. Sean somehow goes from pampered show dog to wild hunter in no time flat; Slasher doesn't come near him until Sean is able to handle it, even. The depiction of the wild life is interesting, but for all Sean's one of the Big Red wonder-dogs, his survival is just way too convenient. And why, exactly, is the trapper so mad about the hares? It says he'll catch too many of them and their fur (and meat) aren't particularly valuable; the story also explains Sean carefully avoiding all the fur-bearers and only moving in on hares. So the trapper's ire is a little forced. I can see the sheep-man's, though, given what he knows and what he's seen. It's surprising Sean _was_ seen, though. I think I like Billy, but it's hard to tell; he's left pretty much a stereotypical icon, with very little to flesh out his personality (he's a boy, he loves dogs, unlike his family he's not quarrelsome. I think that's it). I'd have read another book if there was one - certainly there could have been, Kjelgaard ignored the bitches in Big Red's family, and even if he didn't want to deal with them there was another litter of Big Red's and then Sean's pups. But I don't know what else - what new story - could have been told. Pampered show dog finds his human, learns to hunt; stubborn wild pup grows up; pampered show dog learns to survive on his own, finds his human. There are probably dozens of variations on these that _could_ have been told, but I think I'm glad they weren't, that Kjelgaard left it at that. ( )

Good sequel to Big Red and Irish Red. In this book, Big Red's son, Sean, has his own adventures after being lost in the wilderness. A worthy follow up to the other two books. ( )

From back cover: From pampered champion...to hunted beast! Irish Setter Sean, son of Big Red, is huurled from a moving truck into wilderness where kill-or-be-killed is the pitiless law of life. Now he must match savagery for savagery...forget he has ever been tame. And yet there comes the agonizing call of old friendships. Can Red "reform"? Or is he doomed to be an outlaw, running and hiding for the rest of his life?