Best Selling Books by Fred Gipson

A timeless American classic and one of the most beloved children’s books ever written, Old Yeller is a Newbery Honor Book that explores the poignant and unforgettable bond between a boy and the stray dog who becomes his loyal friend. When his father sets out on a cattle drive toward Kansas for the summer, fourteen-year-old Travis Coates is left to take care of his family and their farm. Living in Texas Hill Country during the 1860s, Travis comes to face new, unanticipated, and often perilous responsibilities in the frontier wilderness. A particular nuisance is a stray yellow dog that shows up one day and steals food from the family. But the big canine who Travis calls “Old Yeller” proves his worth by defending the family from danger. And Travis ultimately finds help and comfort in the courage and unwavering love of the dog who comes to be his very best friend. Fred Gipson’s novel is an eloquently simple story that is both exciting and deeply moving. It stands alongside works like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Where The Red Fern Grows, and Shiloh as a beloved and enduring classic of literature. Originally published in 1956 to instant acclaim, Old Yeller later inspired a hit film from Walt Disney. Just as Old Yeller inevitably makes his way into the Coates family’s hearts, this book will find its own special place in readers’ hearts.

"Gipson again has given us a purely wonderful trunk of Americana, and one of those rare books to be enjoyed on many latitudes of brow elevation."--Chicago Sunday Tribune

An anthology of previously unpublished folklore by a master Texas story teller.

Tells the story of J.O. Langford, who brought his family to Big Bend in the early 1900''s. Photographs.

Three classic dog tales brought together in a single volume Old Yeller Winner of the Newbery Honor When his father sets out on a cattle drive for the summer, fourteen-year-old Travis is left to take care of his mother, younger brother, and the family farm. In the wilderness of early frontier Texas, Travis faces his new and often dangerous responsibilities, with many adventures along the way, all with the help of the big yellow dog who comes to be his best friend. Sounder Winner of the John Newbery Medal Sounder is a loyal family dog, determined to help his owners through thick and thin. This is the story of a great coon dog and the poor sharecroppers who own him, and of the courage and love that bind a black family together in the face of extreme prejudice from the outside world. Savage Sam In this sequel to Old Yeller, Travis and his younger brother are kidnapped by an Indian raiding party, and Savage Sam, the son of the beloved yellow dog, leads a frantic chase to bring them back.

A twelve-year-old boy goes on his first hunt with Blackie, the hound-dog man, and is granted his fondest wish

To the wild and fabulous country where the Rio Grande makes its big bend, J.O. Langford came in 1909 with his wife and daughter in search of health and a home. High on a bluff overlooking the spot where Tornillo Creek pours its waters into the turbulent Rio Grande, the Langfords built their home, a rude structure of adobe blocks in a land reputed to be inhabited only by bandits and rattlesnakes. Big Bend is the story of the Langfords'' life in the rugged and spectacularly beautiful country which they came to call their own. Langford''s account is told with the help of Fred Gibson, author of Old Yeller and Hound Dog Man.

A stray dog is befriended by a family of poor farmers in 1869 Texas.

A young boy repeatedly puts himself in danger in his determination to kill the wild boar that has destroyed his prize watermelon.

Hopper Creech tells the stories of a year in the lives of the people of Recollection Creek, not too far from San Antonio.

True story of a West Texas cowhand. A working cowboy who could break a horse, rope a cow, doctor a sheep, fix a windmill, dig a post hole for fence, or any of a thousand chores on a ranch. Fat Alford later hauled livestock, feed, and equipment to West Texas ranches.

The story in word and pictures of the battle against hoof and mouth disease in cattle in 1946-47.

A small twelve-year old boy''s determination to prove he is tough sets him on the trail of a runaway horse.

A tale of a rooster that escapes being a fried dinner and becomes a mascot of cowboys on the trail. Grades 3-6.