The Apple and the Arrow

Product Description A 1952 Newbery Honor Book  The year is 1291, and Walter is the twelve-year-old son of William Tell, the greatest bowman in the land of Uri. Walter lives happily in the remote heights of the Alpine Mountains, caring for his family’s goat herd and practicing his marksmanship in the hopes of making his father proud. But as the end of the year approaches, Walter’s peaceful life is shaken as his country enters a revolution, and Walter must carry a secret that could threaten the life of the father he loves so dearly. More than seven hundred years have passed since the day Walter stood in the marketplace balancing an apple on his head while the Austrian tyrant Gessler commanded Walter’s father, William Tell, to take aim at the apple with his great crossbow. The dramatic tale of William’s arrest and escape and the daring revolt of the Swiss against the Austrians has become a legend around the world. From the Back Cover "Shoot, Father, shoot! I am not afraid." Walter's voice seemed to bring back his father's courage. He quickly raised the heavy crossbow to his shoulder as muscles rippled on his brown arms. He sighted the apple on his son's head. He pulled back the bowstring The legend of William Tell survived for more than seven hundred years. The Apple and the Arrow, winner of a 1952 Newbery Honor Medal, tells the story through Walter's eyes, as he and his father struggle for the freedom of their family, their village, and their country. About the Author The husband-wife team of Conrad and Mary Buff wrote and illustrated many books for children, including several runners-up for the Newbery and Caldecott Medals, in the mid-twentieth century.