The Story of Ferdinand



Ah, smelling the roses!

This classic story by Munro Leaf is about a peace-loving bull, Ferdinand, who lives a bucolic life outside Madrid, Spain.  Through a series of funny misunderstandings Ferdinand is "discovered" and mistakenly assumed to be a fearsome fighter, and is carted off to the bullfights with hilarious results! 

After checking it out from my local library, I read it first to myself and then asked my Girlie Girl to read it to me while I just looked at the pictures.  She did great, except I did have to help with the pronunciation of a couple of Spanish words like Matador and Banderilleros.  Simple words used in an easy rhythm make the book no trouble to read or understand.  But, it's the drawings by Robert Lawson that bring this simple story to life! 



Ugly things, aren't they?  And creepy!



We read it a couple of times and then looked back through it because we noticed several pictures of vultures.  Especially those picturing the journey to and the city of Madrid.  We counted ten!  Now, I read this story as a kid and I never even noticed the vultures, but my daughter saw them right away.  I was amused, but a little disturbed, too….although it didn’t even come close to the level of discomfort I felt when I watched the movie Snow White as an adult and saw the vultures smile. That's scary stuff.   

The best pictures, we thought, were of the men who “recruited” Ferdinand.  Leaf’s only description is this:  



Her fav? Eye-patch guy.
Yes, that is worrisome! 

  One day five men came in very
   Funny hats to pick the biggest
   Fastest, roughest bull to fight
   In the bull fights in Madrid

Lawson’s interpretation was brilliant and caught my Girl's attention for more time than any other drawing in the book.   She loved looking at all the different hats.  And those mustaches!  Ha!

Overall, my first-grader (6) read it just fine, aside from the Spanish words.  But, this picture book is for any age!  For us, this short story turned into a 20 minute talk about bullfights, Spain, the Spanish language and, of all things, ponchos!  

I’m reminded once again of what books can do!