The Story of Ferdinand

The Story of Ferdinand
by Munro Leaf with drawings by Robert Lawson/ published 1936 by The Viking Press

Far from forgotten, this book is a classic. I received a copy at my baby shower from my son's godparents, and from the get-go, it's been a title that stays in rotation. I was unfamiliar with the book at the time, but after the first reading, their is no denying why it's so well-loved. The story is sweet and timeless about a peace-loving Spanish bull, and the illustrations don't look the slightest bit dated.

"Why don't you run and play with the other little bulls and skip and butt your head?" she would say.

But Ferdinand would shake his head. "I like it better here where I can just sit quietly and smell the flowers."

Apparently, according to the back jacket, the illustrator is the only person to have won both the Newbery and the Caldecott Awards. Though both Munro and Lawson were Americans, I also didn't know its sordid political history as chronicled in its Wikipedia entry.

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