The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Title: The Story of Ferdinand
Author: Munro Leaf
Illustrator: Robert Lawson
Publish Date: First published in 1936, republished in 1969, reprinted in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, and published again in 1977.
ISBN#: 978-0-14-050234-3
Summary:
This story is about a little bull named Ferdinand, who was different than the other bulls because he didn’t like to play rough. Instead of playing rough, Ferdinand liked to sit under his favorite cork tree and smell the flowers. When all of the little bulls grew up, including Ferdinand, they got big and strong but while the other bulls fought each other, Ferdinand still sat under the cork tree smelling flowers. One day five men came to pick the biggest and toughest bull to participate in bull fights in Madrid. All of the bulls were trying to impress the men but not Ferdinand. Ferdinand headed over to the cork tree but when he went to sit down, he accidently sat on a bee and jumped around and snorting because it hurt. The five men saw Ferdinand and took him to the bull fights in Madrid because they thought he was the toughest. During the bull fighting, there were 3 people trying her hurt Ferdinand when he charged and they were the Banderilleros, picadores, and the matador. When Ferdinand was released he was supposed to charge at then instead he found a flower and sat down to smell it. So the men took Ferdinand home and he went straight to the cork tree.
Questions:
Page 8- Why do you think that Ferdinand liked to sit and smell the flowers?
Page 10- From our vocabulary words that we went over before the book, who remembers what a pasture is?
Page 18- Did his mother get mad at him for not playing?
Page 21- What do you see different about Ferdinand? What does the writing on the tree mean?
Page 27- Do you think the 5 guys with silly hats will pick Ferdinand? Why or why not?
Page 29- What do you think Ferdinand is doing while the other bulls are showing off to the men?
Page 33- What do you think is going to happen to the bee?
Page 39- The 5 men think that Ferdinand is the best but do you think he meant to look like the toughest?
Page 48- Who remembers what a Banderillero is? What do they do? Are they nice?
Page 51- Who remembers what a Picadore is? What do they do? Are they nice?
Page 53- Who remembers what a Matador is? What do they do? Are they nice?
Page 55- Who do you think it will be?
Page 58- What do you think Ferdinand is going to do?
Page 63- Why do you think the bull fighters were mad?
Extended Questions:
What do think happened to Ferdinand? Where do you think Ferdinand is today? What could you learn from the way Ferdinand acted?
Vocabulary:
Lonesome- Lonely or solitary
Pasture- Land covered with grass and other plants for animals to graze
Banderilleros- bullfighter
Picadore- bullfighter
Matador- bull fighter whose task is to kill the bull