The Yearling

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

An instant bestseller when it was released in 1938, The Yearling is an enduring classic.

Set in the 1870s, this classic story of the Baxter family and their wild, hard, and satisfying life in remote central Florida has been beloved by readers of all ages for the last eighty years. After Jody’s pa kills a deer, Jody convinces his father they should bring the doe’s fawn home. Jody and his fawn are inseparable, but the day comes when Jody must choose between his deer and the family’s survival. A #1 bestseller for 23 consecutive weeks when it was first published, The Yearling perfectly captures the essence of childhood. It’s a glowing picture of a life refreshingly removed from modern patterns of living and is universal in its revelation of simple courageous people and the beliefs they must live by.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (1896–1953) lived for twenty-five years in Cross Creek, Florida, the area that is the setting for The Yearling, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1939. She is the author of several earlier novels as well as a memoir, Cross Creek, which inspired the acclaimed motion picture of the same name.