The Yearling (Aladdin Classics)
An American classic—and Pulitzer Prize–winning story—that shows the ultimate bond between child and pet.
No novel better epitomizes the love between a child and a pet than The Yearling. Young Jody adopts an orphaned fawn he calls Flag and makes it a part of his family and his best friend. But life in the Florida backwoods is harsh, and so, as his family fights off wolves, bears, and even alligators, and faces failure in their tenuous subsistence farming, Jody must finally part with his dear animal friend. There has been a film and even a musical based on this moving story, a fine work of great American literature.
No novel better epitomizes the love between a child and a pet than The Yearling. Young Jody adopts an orphaned fawn he calls Flag and makes it a part of his family and his best friend. But life in the Florida backwoods is harsh, and so, as his family fights off wolves, bears, and even alligators, and faces failure in their tenuous subsistence farming, Jody must finally part with his dear animal friend. There has been a film and even a musical based on this moving story, a fine work of great American literature.
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Community Reviews
I first became aware of this book through another book. The author that brought it to my attention has an intimate connection to the Floridian landscape that Rawlings describes, and so he is able to relate to The Yearling in a way that I never could. Even still, this was a lovely and enjoyable tale. For me, stories such as these do not take on their full potential until you reach the end, when you are finally able look back over the growth of the characters and take in the events that moved them along. The author beautifully drops breadcrumbs throughout the story to help immerse you into the lives of the Baxter's, joining with them in the concern over whether or not there will be enough food to survive. The joy of the birth of a calf is shattered when it is suddenly eaten by a bear. Crops are lost and game trails change when the floodwaters rise. Rattlesnakes, starving wolves, tainted water killing off wild game ... illustrate for the reader the harsh reality of life before grocery stores and the accessibility of food within a few minutes drive. Even more so, the heartbreak of death (both human and pet) pepper the story in such a way to bring the reality of death front and center in a time when, especially in more "modern" cultures, death is hidden behind hushed tones, closed doors, and overpriced funeral packages.
Even still, this does not mean that the story isn't a joy to read! The simplicity of life, even with its many trials and frustrations, can easily awaken the desire to live more connected to the land rather than to a device. Playing the woods, caring for wounded animals, fishing in the creek ... all of these things are pastimes of my own boyhood in the rural south.
The Yearling is worthy of a read ... and most definitely worthy of a read by children in the early preteen years ... and worthy of a spot on your "classics" shelf.
Even still, this does not mean that the story isn't a joy to read! The simplicity of life, even with its many trials and frustrations, can easily awaken the desire to live more connected to the land rather than to a device. Playing the woods, caring for wounded animals, fishing in the creek ... all of these things are pastimes of my own boyhood in the rural south.
The Yearling is worthy of a read ... and most definitely worthy of a read by children in the early preteen years ... and worthy of a spot on your "classics" shelf.
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