The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf is a sweet story about a little bull who did not like to do what all the other bulls did but he liked to sit alone and smell the flowers. As the story progresses Ferdinand is picked to go to the Bull Fights in Madrid and when he gets in to the arena he just sits and smells the flowers. In the end it says that Ferdinand was happy because he was doing what he loved. I believe that this story teaches children that they do not have to like or do the same things as everyone around them, they just need to do what makes them happy. I think this is an important lesson to teach our students, that they need to find what they love and that is what they need to continue to do throughout their life! If I were to use this book in my classroom I would either use it as a book to teach about the tradition of the bull fights in Spain because I think this book does a great job of explaining the major components. If I did not do that I would ask the students to think about what makes them most happy in life and then get them to write a letter to their parents explaining what it is that makes them happy and why that makes them happy.
Reading Level: K-2
Lexile Level: 830L
