Old Yeller audiobook

I read this book because I love dogs and I'm a masochist.

This 1950s Pocket edition, purchased from a Sonoma used book store, presented today as a gift to my eight year old daughter (more on this later). After thanking me she asked me what it was about. I told her it's about a boy and his dog. She asked me if the dog dies. I told her he does, but that it is still a good book. She asked if I had read it. I told her I hadn't - only seen the movie. She asked me to read it for her first to make sure it wasn't too sad. She's on to me...Our 14 year-old protagonist Travis comes of age when his father leaves him to be the man of the house while he does a cattle drive from Texas to Kansas. Gipson's frontiersy narrative and dialogue feels right, sounds right, for a book written for children in the 1950s about life in West Texas in the late 1860s. My memories of the movie are hazy, but it seems that the film action follows closely to the written word action, and while there is definitely sadness in the passing of Old Yeller, it doesn't feel like maudlin melancholy. As an eight year old it is the kind of book I would want to read about such weighty subjects as death, grieving, living. When I finished reading it, I handed the novel to my daughter and said, "It's not so sad. You'll like it." She's read the entire Laura Ingalls Wilder series. This book is a layup.When traveling my daughter often sees me reading on a Kindle or an iPad. She knows I am reading a book - she also knows that I prefer to read a physical copy rather than an E but that our luggage can only accommodate so many books (here in Florida I've been walking around with Women and Men like a KJV Bible clutched heavily to my chest). She asks when she will be able to read a book on the iPad; I know that in her lifetime a library will be as much of an anachronism as if I had a shelf of VHS tapes - but I want to hold out for as long as I can and help her to experience the tactile enjoyment of the tree book over the ebook. This paperback copy of Old Yeller is 60 years old, in decent shape and is only just showing the ravages of time with yellowing paper and crackling spine glue. While reading the book I hand it to my daughter and ask her to flip the pages under her nose and breath in. She does so, smiles. "You'll never get that from an ebook", I tell her. I hope she remembers this.

This is an awesome classic. I believe this one should be a must read for all.

Amazing! There is a reason this book is such a classic. I cried at the end. What a dog that Yeller. A frontier family survive with the help of this scoundrel dog. This book is so grounded and down to earth. They had a lot of ingenuity living on the land as they did. I appreciated how Fred handled the emotions of the characters. Everything and everyone felt so real. I felt like they were living and breathing. Travis's emotional arch is touching. This is a work of art, it really is. I'm so glad I gave this a go. You should too.

What I mean is, things like that happen. They may seem mighty cruel and unfair, but that's how life is a part of the time. But that isn't the only way life is. A part of the time, it's mighty good. And a man can't afford to waste all the good parts worrying about the bad parts. That makes it all bad… you understand?This book totally exceeded my expectations. My favourite thing about it was the narrative style - it really felt like I was sitting with the protagonist, Travis, while he was giving me a first hand account of what life was like with Old Yeller. I also laughed out loud at certain parts (mainly the ones having to do with Travis's five year old brother Arlis) and admittedly shed a tear at the end. It was really nice to see Travis progressively take such a liking to Old Yeller after initially being so averse to the whole idea of taking him in as their family's dog.This is such a heartwarming story, and if you're into books about animals, you definitely need to read this. 

This review is for mothers and fathers of sons written by a man with no children. Forgive my presumptuousness, but please don't let my lack of experience stop you from reading. Here's the story of Old Yeller: Daddy, Mama, young son, and early teenage son live as a family on the Texas frontier. To provide for the family, Daddy has to go on a cattle drive to Kansas. Before he leaves, Daddy takes the oldest son aside and tells him he is going to have to be the man of the house since Daddy will be gone the next few months.When you get to this anachronistic charge, you may be tempted to throw the book down and dismiss the entire book as patriarchal and condescending. If you have sons, keep reading. You might even consider having your sons read this book. In truth, Old Yeller is the timeless story of the journey a boy goes through to become a man. I get tired of encountering men who don't know what it means to be a man, who don't speak the truth, who don't keep their word, who show no respect, who look for the easy way out, who show no backbone, and have few principles. In short, men who refuse to accept responsibility. I suspect these men have been shielded from hard and unpleasant tasks, and by being so protected, they fail to learn to do the right thing, regardless of its difficulty.I have seen Old Yeller on film two or three times and had read the book in years past multiple times. I thought I was ready. I really did.Last Sunday, I put my faithful dog to sleep.It was the right and merciful thing to do.It still broke my heart.

I always try to stay away from dog movies and books because I know how much they could hurt me, but maybe I’m punishing myself today for being late so I decided to meet Old Yeller. And now my heart is breaking. I just wanna curl up in bed and cry until I fall asleep. Dream of Old Yeller and tell him how wonderful he is and that I love him. And Spot too.

Gipson’s simply told tale of a boy and his dog living in the Texas Hill Country of 1860 is a genuine classic of children’s literature. Travis Coates is only 14 years old, but while his father is off for months on a cattle drive, he is the “man of the house,” left on the homestead with his mother and younger brother, 5-year-old Arliss. A stray yellow mutt of a dog, with one ear virtually chewed off, and only a stump of a tail, shows up one day. He’s a no good, thieving rascal – taking their meat and stealing eggs when he can – but he proves himself to be a key defender of the family when he faces a bear that is targeting Arliss. Just as Old Yeller worms his way into the family’s hearts, this book will burrow into the reader’s heart. I am not a “dog person,” but I really connected with this book. I think this in part due to the fact that I grew up in the Texas Hill Country, so the scenery was alive in my imagination. But more importantly, I connected to the way Gipson portrayed the characters’ emotions – fear, love, irritation, loyalty, happiness, sorrow. This little book packs a big wallop.

I'm so glad I listened to this again. Fantastic narrator, perfect voice for the part.I thought I remembered the book well, but I hadn't, not really. Too many years & too mixed up from seeing the movie, which changes some things. Super movie, but nothing beats the book.Gipson perfectly captured a mature 14 year old, the kind of boy I'd expect given the times, post Civil War Texas, late 1860's. He wasn't always perfect, but that just made him more real. The feelings he had were very well done as were the descriptions of life at the time. What a hard life they had. Makes me glad to live now.I won't even bother saying anything about that old yeller dog. Everyone knows. I will say the book handles the end better than the movie, IMO. Yes, it's sad, but so realistic & fantastic in its own way.If you haven't read this in sometime, I can't recommend a reread highly enough. This audio book was from my local library, so easy to get, quick, & free. There's no excuse not to.