#tbt: Old Yeller by Fred Gipson

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson. 176 p. HarperCollins Publishers, July, 1956. 97800660115456. (Own)

#tbt features a tear jerker. Old Yeller was written by Fred Gipson and published in 1956. It was awarded a Newbery Honor in 1957. It was also adapted by Walt Disney in 1957. Old Yeller is the story of a young boy named Travis, who is the "man of the house" while his dad is working on a cattle drive in the late 1800s. When a scruffy stray wanders onto the ranch and won't leave, Travis names the dog Yeller, partly because of his yellow fur and partly because the dog sounded like he was yelling when he barked. Travis didn't like the dog much but grew to admire his courage after Yeller saved his younger brother from a bear and his mother from a wolf. I am unable to read this story without sobbing. Gipson wrote two companion novels, Savage Sam and Little Arliss.