The Story of Ferdinand

by Munro Leaf

I remember my mother reading THE STORY OF FERDINAND to me when I was child. I don’t know what is really is that stuck with beyond the idea of a bull sitting and smelling the flowers. When I was in high school I took a child development class. For one of the days we actually got together in groups and taught the children in the day care. Each group was assigned a nursery rhyme and everything we did had to revolve around it. My group had Hey Diddle, Diddle. My job was to come up with a story that could be tied in. I came up with FERDINAND.

THE STORY OF FERDINAND is by Munro Leaf. It was written in 1936 and has been published around the world at this point. It is a cute little picture book about a bull named Ferdinand. Ferdinand isn’t a normal bull who likes to frolic in the grass, but he likes to sit under a tree and smell the flowers. When he grows up all of the other bulls dreams of going to the bull fighting rings in Madrid. Ferdinand likes to smell the flowers. When he is chosen to go to the bull fights none of the spectators are ready for what happens.

The story is cute and it has a good message about doing what makes you happy. I also really like the illustrations. The drawings, by Robert Lawson, have incredible detail that just bring the story to life. I highly recommend that you check out this book, especially if you have children and need a new story to read to them. Ferdinand will win their hearts.