''Old Yeller'' is a 1956 children's novel written by Fred Gipson and illustrated by Carl Burger. It received a Newbery Honor in 1957. The title is taken from the name of the yellow dog who is the center of the book's story. In 1957,

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

released a

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

starring Tommy Kirk, Fess Parker, Dorothy McGuire,

Kevin Corcoran Kevin Anthony "Moochie" Corcoran (June 10, 1949 – October 6, 2015) was an American child actor, director and producer. He appeared in numerous Disney projects between 1957 and 1963, leading him to be honored as a Disney Legend in 2006. Hi ...

, Jeff York, and Beverly Washburn.

Plot

In the late 1860s in the fictional town of Salt Licks,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, young Travis Coates has been working to take care of his family ranch with his mother and younger brother, Arliss, while his father goes off on a cattle drive. When a "

dingy A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed by a larger vessel for use as a tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they differ from sailing dinghies, which ...

yellow" dog comes for an unasked stay with the family, Travis reluctantly takes in the dog, which they name Old Yeller. The name has a double meaning: the fur color yellow pronounced as "yeller" and the fact that its bark sounds more like a human yell. Though Travis initially loathes the "rascal" and at first tries to get rid of it, the dog eventually proves his worth, saving the family on several occasions; rescuing Arliss from a

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

, Travis from a bunch of wild hogs, and Mama and their friend Lisbeth from a loafer wolf. Travis grows to love Old Yeller, and they become great friends. The rightful owner of Yeller shows up looking for his dog and recognizing that the family has become attached to Yeller, trades the dog to Arliss for a horned toad and a home-cooked meal prepared by Travis' mother, who is an exceptional cook. Old Yeller is bitten while saving his family from a

rabid Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure. These symptoms are followed by one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, vio ...

wolf. Travis is faced with the harsh decision that he must kill Old Yeller after the fight with the wolf, which he does because he cannot risk Old Yeller becoming sick and turning on the family. Old Yeller had puppies with one of Travis' friend's dogs, and one of the puppies helps Travis get over Old Yeller's death. They take in the new dog and try to begin a fresh start.

Breed

Old Yeller in the novel is described as being a "yellow cur".: "But most important there was Old Yeller, a big ugly yellow cur,". It has been claimed that the dog was actually modeled after the Yellow or Southern Black Mouth Cur or a Blue Lacy, the state dog of Texas. In the Disney movie Yeller was portrayed by a yellow Labrador Retriever/ Mastiff mongrel.

Inspiration

The inspiration for the dog Old Yeller was based on a dog named Rattler from Mason, Texas.

Other books in the series

The new puppy becomes the title character of the follow-up book '' Savage Sam'' (1962) and 1963 movie. A third book, '' Little Arliss'' (1978), is set after the first two and features Travis' younger brother.

Awards and honors

*1957 Newbery Honor *1959 William Allen White Children's Book Award *1959

Young Reader's Choice Award The Young Reader's Choice Award is an award program of the Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA) which was inaugurated in 1940 by Harry Hartman, a well-known Seattle based bookseller. It is the oldest "children's choice" award in the U.S. an ...

*1959 Sequoyah Book Award, Children's category (inaugural winner) *1966 Nēnē Award

References

{{Portal , Texas, 1950s, Children's literature 1956 American novels Novels set in the 1860s Novels set in Texas American children's novels Newbery Honor-winning works American novels adapted into films Novels about dogs Fictional dogs Harper & Brothers books Children's novels about animals 1956 children's books Rabies in popular culture