The White Stag is a children's book, written and illustrated by Kate Seredy

Kate Seredy

Kate Seredy was a Hungarian-born writer and illustrator of children's books, written in the English language.-Life:...

, that won the Newbery Medal

Newbery Medal

The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...

 for excellence in American children's literature

Children's literature

Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...

 in 1938. It follows the warrior bands, the Huns

Huns

The Huns were a group of nomadic people who, appearing from east of the Volga River, migrated into Europe c. AD 370 and established the vast Hunnic Empire there. Since de Guignes linked them with the Xiongnu, who had been northern neighbours of China 300 years prior to the emergence of the Huns,...

 and Magyars, across Asia and into Europe, and is a mythical retelling of the life of Attila the Hun

Attila the Hun

Attila , more frequently referred to as Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in 453. He was leader of the Hunnic Empire, which stretched from the Ural River to the Rhine River and from the Danube River to the Baltic Sea. During his reign he was one of the most feared...

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Plot synopsis

For generations the tribes of Huns and Magyars had moved westward, obeying their Pagan Gods' orders to follow a White Stag to their promised homeland. They could see the White stag but could never catch it. Their leader at the time of this story is Attila the Hun, and the story takes place in what is now Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

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Influence

The mythology of the white stag as told by Kate Seredy forms the basis for the White Stag Legend used by the White Stag Leadership Development Program

White Stag Leadership Development Program

The White Stag Leadership Development Program is a non-profit organization that sponsors youth leadership development activities. Founded on the Monterey Peninsula, California, in 1958 by Dr. Béla H. Bánáthy, it traces its history to the 1933 World Jamboree in Gödöllő, Hungary, which took as its...

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