for international children's books day, flavorpill ran an article about celebrities' favorite children's books and "the story of ferdinand" was on the list. ed asner, of "mary tyler moore" fame (though i know him more from "up"), chose ferdinand as his favorite. asner admired ferdinand for his peaceful ways.
(i have to add, i also wanted to read "ferdinand" because it was featured in "the blind side", sandra bullock read it to her kids.)
"the story of ferdinand" is simple and sweet. ferdinand is a bull. growing up he never wanted to play fight with the other bulls and instead sat under a tree admiring flowers. thankfully he had an understanding mother who let me be as he pleased and didn't force him to play with the others.
then one day, men came to look for bulls for a bullfight. ferdinand wasn't interested but a bee stung him which caused him to go crazy. as a result, the men thought he was wild and the perfect bull for the fight.
ferdinand goes to the bullfight but since he is who he is, he enjoys the flowers of the ladies in the crowd instead of fighting. as a result, there is no bullfight and he is sent home to enjoy his tree and flowers.
what i enjoyed best about the book is that it demonstrates the importance of being you; especially for boys that might not be your "typical" boy or girls that may not be your "typical" girl. hopefully, kids will read "the story of ferdinand" and know its okay to be an individual. they can do and act as they want regardless of what society tells them their interest or activities should be. and hopefully parents learn a lesson from the mama cow in the book that one should accept his/her children as they are and not what he/she want them to be. though ferdinad was a peaceful bull, i think the ultimate lesson is one of individualism in which everyone should walk to the beat of their own drum.
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