Old Yeller is a book by Fred Gipson. It is a story about a 14 year old boy named Travis Coates and the dog that comes into his life. The story is set in a fictional town named ‘Salt Licks’ in Texas.
Travis lives with his parents and his little brother, Little Arliss, near the fictional creek named ‘Birdsong Creek’ in the 1860s. Travis’ father leaves on a long journey to Abilene, Texas to sell cattle, therefore leaving Travis as ‘the man of the family’ while he is away for some months. Only a few days after, a dog gets inside their house. This annoys Travis deeply, but he needs to keep the dog since Arliss wants him. They name the dog ‘Old Yeller’. Over the days and weeks, Travis grows to like Old Yeller since he saved Arliss from a bear. One day, Old Yeller is attacked by a wolf that has hydrophobia/rabies.
This leads to tragedy, which is Travis having to shoot Old Yeller to protect his family from rabies.This story is about the bond between human and animal. It is quite a sad story at the end, but it also teaches the lesson of sacrifice. It is one of the most beloved classics and put Fred Gipson in the place of one of the best novelists in America. The book has also won many awards. It is a very gripping book and forces you to re-read. I recommend this book to all, it is definitely one of the best books I have read and needs to be read by all!
