The Story of Ferdinand

By Munro Leaf

Book Overview

A true classic with a timeless message

One of The Atlantic's 65 Essential Children's Books

All the other bulls run, jump, and butt their heads together in fights. Ferdinand, on the other hand, would rather sit and smell the flowers. So what will happen when Ferdinand is picked for the bullfights in Madrid?

The Story of Ferdinand has inspired, enchanted, and provoked readers ever since it was first published in 1936 for its message of nonviolence and pacifism. In WWII times, Adolf Hitler ordered the book burned in Nazi Germany, while Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, granted it privileged status as the only non-communist children's book allowed in Poland.

The preeminent leader of Indian nationalism and civil rights, Mahatma Gandhi--whose nonviolent and pacifistic practices went on to inspire Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.--even called it his favorite book.

The story was adapted by Walt Disney into a short animated film entitled Ferdinand the Bull in 1938. Ferdinand the Bull won the 1938 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons).

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140502343
• ISBN13: 9780140502343
• Release Date: June 1977
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 72 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 7.2" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 3 to 5 years
• Grade Range: Kindergarten

Customer Reviews

One of my favorite books

I loved the Disney short film as a girl, and have read this book to all of our children.

Vintage favorite

Tender story with ink illustrations. Love the sleeve bookcase that comes in.

It was beautiful

My mother would read this story to me when I was little. So, now that I have my own children, and they love the movie. I want them to hear the book version. It was very nice condition. I am extremely happy with it. Very beautiful addition to our bookshelf.

Book

Arrived on time Sweet book

ONE OF THE BEST EVER

This book has been one of my favorites, if not my favorite for years. I did not discover it until after I saw Disney's short of the story about 20 years ago. Disney's short was made in the 50s or 60s, I think. Ferdinand is the most endearing character and a great messege to tell children that they don't have to follow the crowd to be happy and we can break the mold and be peaceful and non-violent. This is only part of the greatness of this book...the illustration are the absolutely most wonderful illustrations. Robert Lawson is a genius of catching the most adorable expressions and humourus faces. My daughter (3yrs) LOVES this book too. WE HIGHLY RECCOMMEND IT!

Utterly Charming Tale of Being Yourself

I recently rediscovered this favorite book from my childhood (which was 40+ years ago now), and fell in love all over again. Now my 4 year old daughter and I both get to experience the exquisite pleasure of Ferdinand on a regular (i.e. nightly) basis. The gorgeous illustrations and simple, powerful story of the biggest bull on the farm who would rather "sit just quietly and smell the flowers", is as moving today as it was when it was written more than 50 years ago. And I cannot think of a more important lesson to teach our children today: that it is o.k. to be yourself, even when everyone else thinks you should be something else. This is a sweet, lovely story for children and adults alike, and is one of the few books I look forward to reading over and over again. Luckily, my daughter agrees.

Blessed are the peacemakers.

This book is more than sixty years old. I remember hearing it as a small child in the early sixties, and even then it sounded strangely old-fashioned to me, as if it came from some sweet, gentle world that had not existed for a long time. But as a child I passionately loved that world, and this book that evoked its gentleness, and years later, when I found out I was pregnant, the first thing I bought for my son was not a blanket or a crib or a stuffed animal, but a copy of Ferdinand. It was the thing I loved most from my own childhood. Seventeen years later, I still think my priorities were right. And that seventeen year old has a six year old sister, so the book is still in use.Ferdinand has been around so long, I assume everybody knows the story, but in case you don't, here goes: Ferdinand is a gentle little bull in Spain. The other little bulls love to fight and dream of being chosen for the bullfights in Madrid. But by mistake, Ferdinand is sent to fight. The only problem is, he will not fight.. They lead him into the bullring, but he just sits there, smelling the flowers in the women's hair, and in the end there is nothing the matadors can do but take him home.I suppose people have been reading this book to children for more than sixty years in part because of its pacifist message. In essence, Ferdinand is the one who would not come when they gave a war. But for me that is just a small part of its appeal. Robert Lawson's absolutely perfect illustrations show a world that is often mean and ugly (the stupid expressions on the faces of the men who come to choose the bulls are classics), or else petty and foolish (check out the fussy clothes and snooty expressions of the matadors), but Ferdinand, always true to himself, is oblivious to this world, and just goes on living his own life in his own way. In the end that quality is a force that nothing can alter.Reading Ferdinand always leaves me believing that goodness is a powerful, unshakeable force. That is a message I find very comforting lately.

It helped me...

I used this book, en español, in my first grade class room that I volunteer in, with the bilingual and spanish speaking children. It was the first time that they had books read to them in their native language in school, the first time they had their native tongue recognized as an academic thing, and it helped to build their self esteem in learning to read and write spanish. I also have a friend who owns this book in Norwegan... I highly recommend it, in any language.

Love this Book!

My mother-in-law gave me her copy of this book (printed in 1938) when my oldest child was 4 or 5 years old and we just adored this story! In fact, she (my daughter) loved it so much she memorized it within months. I chose this book to read to her 2nd grade class and they, too, felt the magic of how the fierce bull loved to just sit and "smell the flowers"! I just sat down tonight to read it for the first time to my youngest child (5 years old) and he already knew how the story went. I asked him how he knew it and if his sister already read it to him, because I had not yet done so. He told me that nobody read it to him, that his sister (now 11 years old) already told him about it. He went on to explain every page to me before I even read it! Maybe it's because it's such a different subject for a children's book ( a bull, a tree, a bee and oh, those flowers!) or it could be because we don't have a great deal of access to bull fighting here in America...none the less, it's a story that stays with you, if only because of it's simplicity. Kind of refreshing.