The Story of Ferdinand

"Ferdinand" is one of the best-loved children's books of all time, and with good reason. This timeless tale of a little bull in Spain who doesn't mind being different from the rest of the herd strikes an instant chord in youngsters and oldsters alike. Ferdinand is a gentle creature who would rather sit around and smell the flowers than butt his way through life; but when he planks himself down one day on a bumblebee, he gets a jolt that propels him into the bullring in Madrid. The story is funny and endearing, and the illustrations are hilarious. Generations of preschoolers have loved this book, and it looks good for generations to come.

One of my biggest joys - during the seven years I spent babysitting our grandsons - was sharing reading time with them. My daughter-in-law became a full-time-mom a year and a half ago so my opportunities to do it are now limited to visits and the occasional sleepover, but it doesn't mean we can't still contribute to the growing children's library in their own home! Having purchased a nice children's book case for them last Christmas, it's our intention to fill it with time-honored classics. I found "The Story of Ferdinand" among Amazon's list of "100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime", and am ashamed to say I had never heard of this book that's been around for 80 years now and was the #1 book in America - topping Gone with the Wind! - the year it was first published (1936).

From what I've read, bullfighting is steeped in Hispanic identity in many parts of the world, considered more of a cultural event - a highly ritualized art form rather than a bloodsport. I must say that for me personally, though it's important to respect each culture's heritage, I would never have purchased a book about bullfighting - especially for our grandsons! But that is NOT what this book is about... as I read it, it is much more about resisting conforming to what's seen as the being the "norm" if it goes against who you are, regardless of what others say or do to provoke you or attempt to force you into submission. I'd read enough about the book to know that the majority of it centered around the peaceful nature of Ferdinand (only three pages reference what I consider the gruesome progression of torture a bull experiences in the ring - the Banderilleros with long sharp pins, the Picadores with long spears, and the Matador with his sword), with that innate peacefulness being what spares him.

This is certainly not a book most children these days will be used to, with its completely black and white illustrations, but - for the right age - a child who's ready to focus more on a story line versus needing lots of bright colors to hold his/her attention, the illustrations do a beautiful job of reflecting the gentleness of Ferdinand, who much prefers to "sit just quietly and smell the flowers" while the other bulls run and jump around, butting heads, and his wise mother who - though occasionally worried about him and what he may face by not conforming to the norm - understood that he was happy. When some men come to pick "the biggest, fastest, roughest bull" to fight in Madrid, Ferdinand accidentally sits on a bee, which of course stings him, and his resulting puffing, snorting, butting and pawing catches the eye of the men, who bring him to Madrid. But after entering the ring, Ferdinand simply runs to the middle of the ring and sits down, quite content to just enjoy the smell of the flowers in all of the female attendees' hair - most certainly not the type of bull they wanted for a fight, so they take Ferdinand back home... where "He is very happy."

My take from the book is that it's true message is the power of peace.

I love Robert Lawson and I love Munroe Leaf, but ladies and gentlemen these two men are definitely less great unless paired together. In undoubtedly my favorite children's book from the 1930s (so sorry, "They Were Strong and Brave"), these two titans of the picture book world created the most adorable story to have ever involved cork trees, bulls, and sweet smelling flowers.
Ferdinand is none too different from "The Reluctant Dragon". He may look fierce and strong, but underneath that hard exterior lies a bull that is perfectly content to just sit beneath his favorite cork tree and smell the flowers all day. Ferdinand was gentle even when young, and he has no desire to go needlessly ramming his head with the other bulls in the field. When some wonderfully illustrated men arrive to find a bull worthy of their bull-fighting arena, Ferdinand is accidentally selected as their choice. Once in the arena, however, Ferdinand proceeds to humiliate the matador and his cronies through simple peace-loving flower-smelling. In the end, Ferdinand is returned to his cork tree and the world is as it was.
There's a definite pacifist feel behind the old Ferdinand tale. In what other story will you have a creature not fight back despite all provocations, only to win in the end? Moreover, a male character that prefers pretty sights and smells to violence and uber-masculinity. Lawson's pen and ink drawings expertly compliment Leaf's tale. Through them we see the high balconies of Spanish towns, and the serene fields where little bulls may play. I was especially amused by the cork tree, from which actual wine corks hang. I suspect many a child has subsequently believed for years that corks really do grow on the vine as Lawson displayed them. Lawson isn't above other humorous tweaking beyond that. On the front and end papers of the book is an image of children gawking at a ferocious picture of "angry" Ferdinand. The poster goes on to advertise treats at the bull fight including "hot dogos" and "chocolato". Apparently any word with an appropriate "o" tacked on the end is instantly Spanish.
"Ferdinand" is the sweetest of the Leaf/Lawson tales. However you feel about the nature of violence (and about how it is almost required of the males of society) this is the quintessential story about being yourself. The angry over-masculine bulls may fight and brawl but peaceful Ferdinand is the one to outwit the men in the end.

"Ferdinand" was one of my favorite stories as a child, and when I ran across it in the Library last year, I checked it out for my children. My boys wanted me to read it over and over again, they just LOVED it. The story and illustrations of the original "Ferdinand" get five stars, of course.

I wanted to purchase this book as a gift for a friend's son, and I was delighted to see the hardcover version available on Prime for under $10! Wow, what a deal! Too good to be true? Well, yes.

The first thing I noticed as I removed the plastic wrap was a sticker on the dust jacket promoting the movie "Ferdinand" which is a contemporary, digitally animated fluff version of the original classic. I was really aggravated by that. I'm primarily irritated that film companies seem to infiltrate absolutely everything we do in life, taking up ad space in the usual places, but also all over household goods like water bottles, underwear, t-shirts, etc., etc. so I go out of my way not to purchase those things when I have the option to purchase something that is just what it is: a back pack that is JUST a back pack or a pencil eraser that is JUST an eraser and nothing else. Of course I have seen movie advertisements on books before, but the sticker is not in the Amazon listing picture for the hardcover version, so I didn't expect it. Luckily for me, because it was the dust jacket, I was able to remove the jacket and put it in the recycling and hopefully it will get recycled into something more worth humanity's time.

The second thing I noticed was the strange layout of the text and pictures. It doesn't seem like what I remember. I'm uploading a few pictures so you can see what I'm talking about and compare it to other customer pictures. I don't have the original format available to make a direct comparison, unfortunately, but the new layout is just too FUNCTIONAL, it doesn't have the delight of the original. The original's atmosphere made you feel like you were present in the fields with Ferdinand as he enjoyed the slow simplicity of his life. This one is like peering out of a window to see him from afar. I think these details are important for a child's experience of the story.

I can't help but think that the illustrations and layout were adjusted to make the cost of printing lower, so that more parents would be willing to buy it, expose their kids to the touching story that is "Ferdinand" and then buy the movie (which itself mutilates the simplicity and historicity of the original story and uses cheap humor to keep the audience watching a full-length film) (yes, I watched the trailer to see what they did with the story, so I guess the film studio wins on that one).

"Ferdinand" is great children's literature, and literature is about what is good, true and beautiful. This story has been abused by what is vulgar, deceptive and ugly for the sake of making a few extra dollars. I'm going to give this as a gift because I have a limited budget and I'm not sure I can buy something else before my friends' party (though I wish I could), but you can bet that when I buy my own kids "Ferdinand" this Christmas, I'll be buying a used, classic version.

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.

Ferdinand is a pacifist who enjoys sitting under a tree smelling the flowers. He is completely uninterested in fighting and when the local bullfighters come out the field to find fighting bulls, they ignore Ferdinand....until Ferdinand is stung by a bee and puts on a show that impresses the matadors. Ferdinand is taken to the arena for a bullfight; however, he refuses to fight and is returned to the field. The matadors have all the gory swords which are not used in the book. My 3 year old son wanted to know why there were swords which presented an interesting dilemma. In my opinion, this book is not for children who are younger than 3. As stated above, 3 year olds need a lot of careful explanation about the story. They do not need to know why and how the swords are used. The violence of the bullfight is not central to this story. Ferndinand's character and his refusal to fight is. This is a beautiful story that your child will enjoy.

Ferdinand, a nice bull, has a run in with a bee. A tiny little bee... with a BIG sting! When Ferdinand gets stung, he acts the way we all envision bulls acting. Everyone thinks he could fight in the ring, but he is happiest smelling flowers.
As a person who hates bees, and certainly did as a young boy, I can understand the reaction Ferdinand has. Youch!
As much as I love the book, it does leave off the horrid reality about bullfighting, how bulls are tortured and killed. As a kids' book, maybe it shouldn't, but hopefully, children get fooled into thinking bullfighting is just a game. Hence, my rating is only four stars.
Read it to your child, and explain what bullfighting it. At the very least, Ferdinand makes it clear he'd rather play in a meadow.

So, I had this and read it to my children a thousand times. Then I spent six months in Andalucia, Spain and discovered this book is an accurate representation of it. The illustrations actually appear to be Spain from Madrid to Andalucia, especially the Frontera, including Ronda and Vejer de la Frontera or Arcos de la Frontera.

On top of that, the story of Ferdinand is about being who you are, and being at peace with yourself - whether it conforms to society's expectations or not. Subtly, and well, done.

Beautiful pictures, beautiful story, peaceful theme. What more can you ask, whether you are an innocent child or a world-weary adult?

Worth buying and sharing with someone you love.

This is an enchanting and timeless tale, and is everything a children's book should be. The message is not simply one of peace and commitment to an ideal, but also one of basic karma, existentialist philosophy of choice and responsibility, and the need for all to follow the Golden Rule.

The Story of Ferdinand lets children know it is okay to stay true to their characters, and will encourage them to think their way out of situations, rather than muscle their way out. Ferdinand's peaceful and contented nature is something all human beings should all aspire to.

Having been stung by many bees in my youth, mainly while traipsing barefoot through clover and accidentally stepping on them, I have great sympathy for our hero and the situation he finds himself in. The realization that even small events and actions can have a tremendous impact on our lives, and everything else that surrounds us in this world, is beautifully presented in this story. How Ferdinand chooses to deal with his plight at being taken away to fight is, of course, the heart and significance of this tale. His choice of poetic action is a perfect lesson in morality and provides the lasting appeal for this book.

I recommend this classic for all ages and peoples, especially in our troubled times. It has a wonderful philosophy of life message; and even if readers choose not to apply the lesson to real life, the charming tale of Ferdinand is worth reading simply for its power to delight and entertain.

J.H. Sweet, author of The Fairy Chronicles

A charming story with drawings of real artistry and taste. I had this book as a child and wanted it for my children.

Plenty of other reviews rightly praise the book so I will simply say that, yes, of course, it's a five-star childrens' book.

One further thing needs praising, however: the quality of the actual book. This does the contents honour: first class paper and a lovely binding make the book an even more worthwhile purchase. It's wonderful that one can still buy things of such quality.