Old Yeller

I jumped back, gun held ready, and caught my first glimpse of the screaming, howling battle that came wheeling into the circle of light. It was Old Yeller, all right, tangled with some animal as big and savage as he was.

Mama called, Careful, son. And take close aim; it’s a big loafer wolf, gone mad.‘

My heart nearly quit on me.

Travis is fourteen and he’s the man of the household while his dad’s away droving cattle. His job is to protect his mum and Little Arliss, and look after the corn patch. Then along comes Old Yeller. Why should they take in such an ugly, useless dog? But Old Yeller soon makes himself one of the family, and when danger threatens, he risks his life to save them.

The combination of excellent writing and the sensitivity to human emotions places it on a shelf with the classics in juvenile literature. Saturday Review of Literature

Exciting and heartwarming. School Library Journal