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Jody is introduced
Jody Baxter is a carefree boy of about the age of ten, who lives in the Florida scrub with his mother, Ora, and his father, Penny (Ezra). He is adventurous and loves the wild space where he lives. He builds mini mill-wheels in the creeks and listens to all of the sounds of the natural world around him. -
Period: to
The Yearling Timespan
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Penny and Jody Baxter go after Old Slewfoot
Old Slewfoot is a black bear that terrorizes the Baxters' livestock and is known throughout the scrub. He is missing one claw on a foot from being caught in a trap, hence the name "Slewfoot". Jody and his father go on a bear hunt and they catch up to Old Slewfoot, but they cannot bring him down. He instead badly injures Old Julia, their best hound. -
Jody visits with the Forresters
The Forresters are the Baxters' neighbors, although they live over four miles away. They are a huge household full of rambunctious men, with the one exception of the quiet, crippled, somewhat odd little brother named Fodder-Wing, who is Jody's best friend. The Forresters make and sell moonshine for a living and are not simple farmers like the Baxters. Jody's Ma says that they are all black-hearted, but Jody thinks they are wonderful hosts and he enjoys staying up to listen to them play music. -
Grandma Hutto
Jody and his Father Penny visit Grandma Hutto, a kind but sharp old woman who lives in town by the river. Grandma's son Oliver, a sailor, comes home while the Baxters are visiting. He has a girl, Twink Weatherby, who also happens to be one of the Forresters' girl. Oliver and Lem Forrester get into a fistfight in town over her, and Jody and his father step in and help Oliver. -
Post Civil War
Penny fought in the Civil war before the beginning of the book took place. The book is set in the deep backwoods of the Florida scrub, and almost everyone would have been a Rebel. -
The Great Flood
A strange front moves through and it rains for days. For almost a week, everyone is shut up inside while the terrible storm moves through. The Baxters' crops are barely salvaged, with over half of some of the reapings destroyed by the flood waters. Emerging from the house after the rain goes away, they discover that the entire scrub had been almost flooded to a swamp and the land animals were starting to get sick and die from so much dirty flood water. -
The Yearling is found
Jody comes into possesion of a fawn who's mother was killed by Penny in order to save himself from a snake bite. The baby deer is the pet that Jody has always wished for and he is extremely proud and happy about his new companion. Penny barely survives the snake bite, and Jody has to help out extra around the house and farm, while a Forrester stays and helps as well. -
Fodder-Wing's death
Fodder-Wing, Jody's best freind, dies in his sleep one night. Jody is faced with real death close to him for the first time, and it hits him hard, because he never got to show his old friend his pet. Before he died, Fodder-Wing told his mother his name for the fawn: Flag. Jody cherishes that and of course names his beloved pet Flag in honor of Fodder-Wing. -
Band of Wolves
There is a rogue band of wolves feeding off of the Baxter and Forrestser livestock. Jody, his father, and the Forresters decide something has to be done. They hunt down the pack of wolves,and Jody is tasked with flushing them out for the others to shoot. He does so with ease and feels like a man for his actions. -
Slewfoot brought down
On Christmas Eve, Jody and Penny go on an impossibly long trek to hunt down and kill Old Slewfoot. They catch up with him, and after a frenzied pursuit, they finally triumph over the gigantic bear and bring him down. The victory is one that is great in the minds of the Baxter's and the rest of the scrub. The Forresters help the Baxters carry the bear skin and the meat into town and they join the Baxters in their Christmas celebration. -
Grandma Hutto's House
The Forresters hear that Olicer has married Twink Weatherby and they leave the Christmas gathering immediately. Soon afterwards Grandma Hutto's house is found burning to the ground. It is widely believed that the Forresters set fire to her house in their anger. Grandma chooses not to tell Oliver this, because she doesn't want to get him into more trouble. -
Flag's Troubles.
Flag is causing trouble. He get's into the feilds and eats the newly planted crops, which could mean starvation for the family if he continues to eat them. Penny tells his son that he must find a way to keep Flag out of the feilds, because he will always come back. Jody tries everything he can to stop Flag, but it's no use. Penny does the worst thing imaginable, he tells Jody to go out in the woods and shoot Flag. Jody does just that, left with no other choice. -
The Weight
Jody is filled with grief after having to kill his best freind in the world. He decides to run away to Boston, and after he makes it a little ways he begins to realize that he is in a very dangerous situation, becuase he has no food and is starving. He becomes lost. Luckily some men on a river boat pick him up, give him food, and direct him back home. He makes it back home, and faces his father and his sorrow. He realizes that the carefree time in his life is behind him, and he has to grow up. -
The Yearling Movie Trailer
[The Yearling Trailor](http://<a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es3J3nOahnE)' >The Yearling Trailer</a>
