Product Description

Story of the friendship between a champion Irish setter and a trapper's son.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30283 in Books
• Published on: 1992-03-01
• Released on: 1992-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780553154344
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From the Publisher
From the moment Danny sees the beautiful Irish setter, he knows Red is the dog for him. Fast and smart, strong and noble, Red is the only dog Danny wants by his side. Soon, neither boy nor dog can stand to be apart. Together Danny and Red face many dangers in the harsh Wintapi wilderness that they call home. But the greatest test of their courage and friendship will come from an enemy more cunning than any they've known before--a bear who is the undisputed king of the wilderness, a savage killer called Old Majesty.

From the Inside Flap
From the moment Danny sees the beautiful Irish setter, he knows Red is the dog for him.  Fast and smart, strong and noble, Red is the only dog Danny wants by his side.  Soon, neither boy nor dog can stand to be apart.  Together Danny and Red face many dangers in the harsh Wintapi wilderness that they call home.  But the greatest test of their courage and friendship will come from an enemy more cunning than any they've known before--a bear who is the undisputed king of the wilderness, a savage killer called Old Majesty.

About the Author
Jim Kjelgaard spent his boyhood in country much like that described in this book. "Those mountain farms", he remembers, "produced more rocks to the acre than anything else. But they provided my brothers and me with plenty of ammunition for fighting the neighboring boys across the creek. One of our jobs was to shoo the cows out of the corn patch, which was more exciting than it sounds. There were always two or three yearling bulls in the dairy herd, and when we wanted to get home quickly, we'd each grab one by the tail. The bulls would light out for the barn, their feet hitting the ground about every two yards, and ours in proportion. But the really entrancing thing was the forest that surounded us: mountains filled with game, and trout streams loaded with fish." Jim's first book was "Forest Patrol", based on the wilderness experiences of himself and his brother, a forest ranger. "Big Red," "Irish Red," and "Outlaw Red" are dog stories about Irish setters.

A name synonymous with wildlife art and excellence for over 50 years. Bob Kuhn was born in Buffalo, NY. Educated at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn NY. He was an illustrator for most of the top outdoor magazines during the 40's, 50's and 60's and graduated to gallery work in 1970. He has not broken stride since.

He has made twelve expeditions of 4-8 weeks duration to Africa, six trips to Alaska, numerous forays into Canada East and West and numerous trips to the American West.

His first love may perhaps be African art but in recent years he has concentrated on North American wildlife.

Customer Reviews

adventures of a young man and his dog
Jim Kjelgaard is a really great writer of dog stories set in the outdoors. "Big Red" is the first of three Irish Setter books. If you like "Big Red" the second book is "Irish Red" and the third one is "Outlaw Red". Danny lives with his father in a shack back in the mountains. They run a trap line and harvest wild honey for money. They are squatters on the land of a rich man, Mr. Haggin. Danny's mother died a long time ago. Danny and his father make a little money on the side by doing work for Mr. Haggin. Mr. Haggin has a beautiful Irish Setter he calls Boy. When Danny sees him, it's love at first sight. But when Danny asks Mr. Haggin how much a dog like Boy would cost, Mr. Haggin says he paid $7000 for him. Danny knows a trapper could never afford a dog like that. Mr. Haggin takes an interest in Danny. It is clear that Danny is different from his father, he has some kind of quality he inherited from his mother, tempered by the ruggedness and independence he learned from living in the wilderness. Mr. Haggin gives Danny a job taking care of Boy, who Danny calls Red. Like Danny, Red shows special quality. But he has never done for himself. He's a show dog. Mr. Haggin sends Danny to New York with Red when he's in a dog show. Then when they go back to Mr. Haggin's ranch, Danny is allowed to take Red out in the wilderness. Red learns from Danny how to be a brave and rugged dog. Red and Mr. Haggin give Danny a chance to move into the civilized world, and Danny gives Red a chance to reach his potential as a real dog in the outdoor world. An earlier reviewer made a great point that applies to all of Mr. Kjelgaard's books I have read: the dog doesn't have to be killed in his books. Most great dog stories are very sad. Examples would be "Sounder", "Where the Red Fern Grows", and "Old Yeller". I don't really like to watch most dog movies, because the dog always dies. The worst that happens to the dogs in Mr. Kjelgaard's books is a broken leg, or a bad wound that heals. No kleenex needed, no broken hearts here.

Big Red
Danny's heart seemed to stop beating as he saw the wolverine's powerful jaws fastened in Red's chest. Danny is just a hunter boy that lives on a rich man's property. Mr. Haggin is the owner of Big Red, the Irish setter that Danny so dearly wants. Danny asks and asks Mr. Haggin if he might be able to have Big Red and Mr. Haggin decides to let Danny watch how his show-dog handler handles them with complete and proper care. After Danny sees the dog show they all travel back to the property where Mr. Haggins lets Danny have Big Red. Danny loves Big Red and treats him as his best friend. After learning to become a hunting dog, the two of them become the closest of companions. They go on many hunts in the forest and do a great job. There is also a bear in the forest, name Old Majesty, and Mr. Haggins wants him dead so that he isn't a threat anymore to the safety of everyone on the property. Danny and Red go out one night to set the traps for winter and stay in the Cottage that's far out in the woods for reasons like this. A wolverine unexpectedly gets in and Red protects Danny while he grabs a pan and prepares to knock out the wolverine. Eventually Red and Danny win and the wolverine runs away. The next day Danny and Red set out to get Big Majesty and finally run into him around dusk. Red and him get into a fight and Danny can hardly see because it's constantly getting darker. They eventually kill the Old Majesty with the cost of Red breaking a leg. They go back to their house and Sheilah MacGuire, a female dog that Red showed interest in, becomes Danny's to keep. The two dogs are happy and have a puppy. While reading Big Red, I found it hard to just stop at a random place because there was always something interesting going on. It was also a good book because one of the main characters was a dog which isn't how a majority of books are so you had to use your imagination a little more than normal. Of course at the end of the book when Red and Sheilah have a puppy, that made me feel good because it was exactly the happy ending both Danny and Red wanted.

In Big Red, there was always something critical to the story line happening or about to happen. Because of this, it was hard to put the book down. Whether they were about to start the dog show, go hunting, or were in the middle of the forest, I just had to know what was going to happen next. While Danny and Red were in the woods at dusk, searching for Old Majesty, I was on my toes because I knew they were going to run into him and have a critical fight. After Red broke his leg, it forced me to keep turning pages to see if he would be alright or if he wasn't going to make it.

One of the main things I thought was cool about this book was that one of the main characters was a dog. It wasn't a dog that could talk either, like you see in other fiction stories. He was realistic, couldn't talk, and show doglike emotions. The way him and Danny bonded made it even better because Red became one of the main characters and you kind of considered him a person in a sense.

During the dog show, Danny notices a very fine female dog and so does Red. After going home neither of them think too much of her anymore but when they get back from killing Old Majesty, they figure out a way to get her and keep her. Red and her then have a puppy and the story ends happily ever after, like all stories should.

Big Red was one of my favorite books to read. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that is in search of an animal related, "Happy ending", and very intriguing story.

Slow Down Red
Big Red is a book that'll keep you awake. It's about a tennage boy named Danny. He sets an eye on a Irish Setter named Red. He's supposingly good for nothing but a showdog; but Red and Danny prove everyone wrong that said he's only a good showdog and nothing elese. Together they accomplish tracking down a old bear named Old Majesty. Every other dog in the woods of Wintapi are scared to even attempt to track him. Danny's hounds are suppose to be the best hounds dogs in Wintapi but they cower down from Old Majesty.