Module 2 The Story of Ferdinand

Summary:  In this story, the bulls where Ferdinand lives grow up wanting to fight.  That is their favorite way to pass the time.  Ferdinand does not participate in any of it.  He’d rather smell flowers.  When he is picked to go into the bull fight because of a bee sting, Ferdinand does not perform the way that the crowd expects.  Instead of being aggressive, he sits down and smells the flowers.  Impression:  I had heard of this book in two movies I really enjoy, Stepmom and The Blind Side, but I’d never read the book until this class.  What a cute book!  It has such a great message about being true to yourself.  I can totally see why the mom in The Blind Side said that Michael Ohre was Ferdinand.  Suggestions for a library setting:  This is a perfect book to use for a discussion on theme.  Kids will easily pick up on the broad ideas like being true to who you are and the importance of stopping and smelling the roses. 

Leaf, Munro. (1936).  The story of Ferdinand. New York: Viking.

THE STORY OF FERDINAND This has an irresistible appeal to the sense of the ridiculous. The story in text and pictures of a bull that was so mild that he preferred to smell the flowers and of how he came to the bull ring and sniffed the ladies' perfume instead of providing sport for the audience. Drawings by Robert Lawson. The most original and amusing thing Leaf has done.

The story of Ferdinand.  (September 11, 1936).  Kirkus Reviews.  Retrieved from: 
     http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/munro-leaf2/the-story-of-ferdinand/#review

THE STORY OF FERDINAND has been around for more than half a century for a reason: It's the story of a sweetly mannered bull who prefers peace to fighting, and the scent of flowers over the smell of victory. Munro Leaf's unforgettable words and Robert Lawson's ability to reveal, with simple pen-and-ink strokes, Ferdinand's soft-heartedness make this story a classic.

One 5-year-old reader was disturbed when the bullfighters brandished darts, long spears, and a sword to stick Ferdinand and made him "mad and madder." But he quickly found a smile when Ferdinand dismissed the fight for his favorite pastime -- sniffing flowers displayed in the hairdos of the "lovely ladies." The story shows readers that they must choose their own path, despite what others may say or think.
Fitzgerald, Susan. (n.d.) The story of Ferdinand.  Commonsense Media.  Retrieved from: 
     http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/story-ferdinand