Old Yeller (HarperClassics)

A beautiful story!

What a marvelous story! Written primarily for teens and young adults in 1956 by Fred Gipson "Old Yeller" is a difficult book to categorize. On the one hand it's a Western novel about a family's efforts to build a homestead for themselves in the wilds of Post-Civil War Texas. On the other hand it's a "coming of age" story about a boy who's left in charge of the ranch, while Pa goes on a cattle drive to Kansas, and the stray dog that wanders into their lives and changes everything. Life on the frontier was hard and Gipson's narrative seems to offer a fresh look at the problems a family could face. With Pa away for most of the summer Travis and his mother must deal with the every day issues that crop up; harvesting their crops, tending the stock and dealing with local wildlife-- some of them dangerous, not to mention a half-wild little brother who is a real handful. The narrator of the story is Travis, as an older man looking back on the events of that fateful summer. Fred Gipson, the author, was born on a farm in the Texas Hill Country where he often worked as a farmer and rancher before attending college for a degree in journalism and becoming a full time writer, as a result much of the narrative is based on his personal, first hand, experience. I like Gipson's writing style, it's graphic without being overly violent, reminds me of Will James and Zane Gray. This is a great book that also made a classic Disney movie with the same title. If you're looking for exciting novel about a boy and his dog in an old-west setting, well "Old Yeller" just might be the ticket. I had no downloading or technical problems with this Kindle edition. Last Ranger

This book was magnificent. I cried ugly tears at the end, and, if you've seen the movie or read it before, you know why I cried. The last 10 pages are an emotional roller coaster. In just the last 10 pages, I cried over words on a piece of paper, then learned a life lesson, then the next thing I know, I'm laughing my butt off. Great book! If there was an option to give this 6 stars, I would consider it. I'm reading Where the Red Fern Grows next!

His is actually the first time I've ever read this book. But I saw the (Disney?) movie when I was little. That movie had such an impact it stayed with me for 50 years! So much so that I could hear the voices & picture the scenes as I was reading. This is a coming of age story from over 100 years ago. Most kids wouldn't be able to understand how this books be over 100 years ago, but back when we were still close enough to our frontier to possibly know someone that loved it - kind of like WWII veterans today. This did be a book that I'd have my [younger] sons or grandsons read now. Kids have come a long way in what was expected of them 150 years ago.

I liked it first i read where the red fearn grows then I read this I like the books but the end is so sad

Must read and a true classic. I read this or it was read to me in fifth grade by my teacher and I fell in love with it. About that time, I was introduced to the old movie made by Disney. I fell in love with that too. If you read this you will not be disappointed because althoughIt’s a little different, the book and the movie are close enough that you could introduce it as a teacher Or a parent. If you’ve ever had a dog or a pet of any kind that you grew up with, this book will definitely touch your heart!

I barely remember watching the movie as a child but had never read the book. Even though you know how it's going to end, it still brings a tear to your eye. Great book! Should be required reading for every boy.

This is a great book! It was read to me as a child by my elementary school teacher. I loved it. I am a dog lover. The ending broke my heart, though...

知り合いのイギリス人とあれこれ話していて犬が話題になりました。「日本ではラッシーですね。私が子どもの頃、ラッシーという犬を主人公にしたアメリカのテレビ番組があって、子どもたちは毎週楽しみにしていました。私なんか、今でも主題歌を覚えているくらいです。ラッシー ラッシー／ラッシー ラッシー ワン ワン ワン／ラッシーがワンワン吠えるとき／きっと何かが起こります／今日のお話 何でしょ 何でしょ／ラッシー ラッシー がんばれ ラッシー／ミツワ ミツワ ミツワのラッシー」と歌い、その意味を伝えました。すると、「イギリスではラッシーと並んでOld Yeller というアメリカ映画も広く知られていますよ」とのこと。さっそく映画の原作となったFred Gipson のOld Yeller （1956）を読んでみました。「父親がカンザスに牛の群れを連れて行って家を空ける数ヶ月、14歳のTravisは愛犬のOld Yellerとともにどう猛な野ブタやオオカミの襲来、家の真ん前で突如として始まった巨大な野牛の縄張り争いなどから家族と農場を守り抜くものの、最後は狂水病を発症したYellerをTravis自らが銃で撃ち殺す」という少年の成長物語でした。 さてOld Yellerを読んでいて思い出したのは、私が小学校低学年の時分に夢中になっていた『黄色い老犬』という本でした。当時はスーツ姿のおじいさんが年に一度、荷台に大きな箱をくくりつけた自転車でやってきて、まるで富山の薬売りのように箱から本を玄関先に並べたものです。その中から母が買ってくれたのが『黄色い老犬』でした。何度くり返し読んだか知れません。その内容がOld Yellerに実によく似ているのです。 「50年以上前の本が果たして今頃…」とは思いましたが幸運にも古書の通信販売で見つけることができ、すぐに取り寄せました。届いた『黄色い老犬』（児童憲章愛の会 1960）を一目見て、Old Yellerのコピーだと確信しました。表紙には映画Old Yeller（Walt Disney 1957）からのスチール写真が使われ、「日本名犬感動美談教育漫画物語」の文字が躍っていたからです。ネタ元は多分、映画Old Yellerか新潮社の『黄色い老犬』（1959）、もしくは小学館の『黄色い老犬』(1959）でしょう。アメリカの名犬を日本の名犬へと変身させる細工をいくつか拾ってみますと、時代→南北戦争後vsアジア・太平洋戦争後／舞台→テキサス州ソールトブランチの開拓農場 vs北海道は網走の牧場／父親の数ヶ月の不在→現金を得るためにカンザスへ牛追いvs札幌に出稼ぎ／主食→トウモロコシvsジャガイモ／飲料水→湧き水vs屋内の井戸／登場する野生動物→アライグマやリス（食糧）、青サギ、こうもり、なまず（食糧）、ガラガラ蛇、トカゲ、ツバメ、スカンク、コヨーテ、ものまね鳥、七面鳥（食糧）、鹿（食糧）、野ブタ、野牛、狼、熊、猪などvsウサギ（食糧）や野犬、熊，蛙といった具合です。一点、「old」の意味を取り違えて「年老いた」としたために、「みすぼらしい老犬」が「もとのたくましい体格やうつくしい黄色い毛なみをとりもどし」「弾丸よりも早く走りまわってえものをおいかけました」などとトンチンカンなことになってもいますが、半世紀をまたいでの読書は大いに興味深いものとなりました。 原作のオリジナリティーや著作権などどこ吹く風、かつての日本は今日の中国や韓国といい勝負だったんですね。ざら紙に白黒印刷ながら、我が家でも手が届く1冊60円という廉価（原作に忠実で全ページがカラー印刷の小学館は120円）で販売してくれた児童憲章愛の会に感謝です。

Classic Story. Good Read for any kid about life lessons.

Excellent book

Vor etwa 57 Jahren hat Meine Mutter meiner Schwester und mir dieses Buch als Fortsetzungs-Gutenachtgeschichte übersetzt. Es jetzt im Original zu lesen hat mir viel Freude gemacht. Es ist eine wunderschöne "Heile Welt" Geschichte, und ich war erstaunt, wieviel ich davon noch kannte.

Item received in good condition. Thank you.