'' The Apple and the Arrow'' is a children's

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...

written and illustrated by

Mary and Conrad Buff Mary Buff (April 10, 1890 – 1970) and Conrad Buff II (August 31, 1886 – March 11, 1975) were married creators of illustrated children's books. Between 1937 and 1968, they collaborated on both text and illustrations to produce 14 books; four ...

, published by

Houghton Mifflin The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...

in 1951. It retells the legend of

William Tell William Tell (, ; ; ; ) is a legendary folk hero of Switzerland. He is known for shooting an apple off his son's head. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albrecht Gessler, ...

from the viewpoint of his 12-year-old son Walter. It is set in 1291, during the political upheaval that led to the

foundation of the Old Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy began as a late medieval alliance between the communities of the valleys in the Central Alps, at the time part of the Holy Roman Empire, to facilitate the management of common interests such as free trade and to ensure ...

. The Buffs were one runner-up for the 1952

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

from the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

, recognizing the previous year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children". ''The Apple and the Arrow'' is called a Newbery Honor Book in retrospect and may display a silver seal.

References

1951 American novels American children's novels Children's historical novels Newbery Honor–winning works Novels set in Switzerland Fiction set in the 1290s Novels set in the 13th century Cultural depictions of William Tell 1291 1951 children's books Children's novellas Children's books set in the 13th century Children's books set in Switzerland {{1950s-child-hist-novel-stub

See also

References