A School Library Journal Top 100 Childrens Novel
An NPR Must-Read for Kids

Billy has long dreamt of owning not one^ but two^ dogs. So when heâ€(TM)s finally able to save up enough money for two pups to call his own â€" Old Dan and Little Ann â€" heâ€(TM)s ecstatic. It doesnâ€(TM)t matter that times are tough; together theyâ€(TM)ll roam the hills of the Ozarks.

Soon Billy and his hounds become the finest hunting team in the valley. Stories of their great achievements spread throughout the region^ and the combination of Old Danâ€(TM)s brawn^ Little Annâ€(TM)s brains^ and Billyâ€(TM)s sheer will seems unbeatable. But tragedy awaits these determined hunters â€" now friends â€" and Billy learns that hope can grow out of despair^ and that the seeds of the future can come from the scars of the past.