Old Yeller 《老黃狗》

【 忠實的夥伴，教我有關生命責任的那些事】

人與狗之間，最長情的陪伴，最深刻的心靈告白，本書為1957年紐伯瑞文學獎銀獎作品，描述1980年代的德州鄉野，有一位名叫Travis的男孩，爸爸為了生計離家一陣子，交代他負起照顧媽媽和弟弟的責任。突然，家裡來了一隻老黃狗 Old Yeller卻待了不走， 起初Travis極度討厭這個蠻橫的傢伙，後來老黃狗不但保護弟弟免於熊的傷害、從野豬群中救出Travis，還保護媽媽和她的朋友們不受野狼的攻擊，漸漸地Travis越來越喜歡這隻忠誠的老黃狗，並且建立了深厚的感情。

某天，老黃狗為了再次保護Travis一家人，而遭到患有狂犬病的狼咬傷，為了免於家人受到狂犬病危害的風險，他必須做出是否殺掉老黃狗的艱難決定，Travis究竟會如何抉擇？

Awarded the Newbery Honor

When a novel like Huckleberry Finn, or The Yearling, comes along it defies customary adjectives because of the intensity of the respouse it evokes in the reader. Such a book, we submit, is Old Yeller; to read this eloquently simple story of a boy and his dog in the Texas hill country is an unforgettable and deeply moving experience.

When his father sets out on a cattle drive for the summer, fourteen-year-old Travis is left to take care of his family and their farm, and he faces new, unanticipated and often perilous responsibilities in the wilderness of early fronteir Texas. But Travis is not alone. He finds help and comfort in the courage and unwavering love of the stray animal who comes to be his most loyal and very best friend: the big yellow dog Travis calls "Old Yeller."

An enduring and award-winning American classic, Fred Gipson's Old Yeller stands as one of the most beloved novels ever produced in this country, and one that will live in the hearts and minds of readers for generations to come.