Rawlings’ fame is based primarily on The Yearling (1938), a novel about life at Cross Creek. The story of a young boy’s love for a pet deer, The Yearling was a best-seller, establishing a public for the nonfiction work Cross Creek fours years later.

In 1946, the film version of The Yearling appeared. It, too, was a popular success; a sensitive and moving work, this film has been called one of the finest ever made. The film Cross Creek appeared much later, in 1983, and was more changed from its source than The Yearling had been. In order to establish a story line, some details of Rawlings’ life were added and some of the stories about Cross Creek people were altered. The film reflects Rawlings’ point of view, however, and although it has been less popular than The Yearling, it is highly praised by critics. Both books and both films continue to appeal to young adults. Like Rawlings herself, readers may well find values in Cross Creek that seem to be absent from the more affluent society in which they live.