Ferdinand written by Munro Leaf

Ferdinand is written by Munro Leaf and illustrated by Robert Lawson. This book is one of my favorites that I recently discovered. I always knew about the book, but only read it a dew years ago. Boy, was I missing out on a fabulous story! Ferdinand  is about a young bull lving in Spain who loves to sit under his favorite tree and smell flowers while the other young bulls fight with each other. They are getting ready for when they are older to fight in the Madrid bullfights.

One day, when he is much older, Ferdinand sits on a flower that has a bumblebee on it! It stings him, and he goes crazy. The Madrid bullfighters see this and say that they need him to fight in the arena. They bring him to where the fight is supposed to be held. When he is supposed to fight, Ferdinand just sits there because he smells the beautiful flowers from the women's hair in the stands. The fighters get mad, and send him home.

I really enjoyed reading this story to my students. One thing that I like to point out is that it's okay to sometimes want some time to yourself. I feel like so many children are signed up for so many activities these days, and they need to know that it's okay to take a break. Ferdinand liked having some time to just be outside and relax.

Ferdinand smelling flowers

It's also good for parents to read this story too. Maybe their child likes to be alone too. They should be able to understand that it is okay for their children to have some alone time with their thoughts. Maybe they like to read, write, or draw by themselves sometimes. That's okay. Ferdinand's mother at first thought that he was lonely. She then realized that Ferdinand just liked to be alone and smell the flowers in the field.

Ferdinand's mother letting him relax under his favorite tree

Another lesson for students is that you don't have to fight back. Many children may feel like they have to fight back during different situations. You do not have to fight! Ferdinand chose to sit quietly and to not fight. The bullfighters gave up. This also doesn't have to just deal with fighting. If someone tries to get you to do anything that you don't feel comfortable doing, you don't have to do it. Children also need to understand that they have the ultimate decision.

Ferdinand choosing not to fight

After reading this story, my kindergarten class had a fabulous discussion. One of the boys told us that when he was in Aruba, he saw one of these fights on the T.V. The students asked if the bull died, but he said that he didn't watch the whole thing. He did say that the bull was bleeding. That brought up another question about why people do this. It was really hard to answer. Someone said that it was mean, which I do agree with, but it's also someone's culture. One of my students helped me out. He said that it was their "tradition." We talked about how cultures all around the world are different and that this was part of their life style.

It's so good to have deep conversations like this even though these students are only in kindergarten. You never know what their experiences might be like and they may have wonderful ideas to bring up and to share with the class. This story is one of their favorites. We put it in their reading bins since they enjoyed it so much. Many of my students also saw the movie, but they could tell me some of the differences since the book and movie are different from one another.

                                                             Helpful Links                                                                            

If you are interested in seeing all parts of the world, I suggest you visit:
https://dwmorse78.blogspot.com/2019/02/

Devon, the blogger, visits places all around the world, and it's fascinating to learn about her adventures! She has also stopped in Spain!

If you would like to learn more about the culture of bullfighting in Spain, visit:
https://www.spanish-fiestas.com/culture/bullfighting-spain/

If you would like to purchase the book, visit:
https://www.amazon.com/Story-Ferdinand-Munro-Leaf/dp/044845694X/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=ferdinand&qid=1554556678&s=gateway&sr=8-8

If you are interested in buying the movie, click:
https://www.amazon.com/Ferdinand-John-Cena/dp/B0784L5QDY/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=ferdinand&qid=1554556774&s=gateway&sr=8-4

                                                             HAPPY READINGS!

                                                                         Jenna