That Ain't no Bull! Or, maybe it is... The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf

Reading List
Written By Rebecca Grabill

The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf. 1963.

Detailed line drawings showing wonderful expression and a grand fairy tale opening make for a timeless story.

Dear Ferdinand is different: so common to a child’s experience, so engaging. Through an unexpected twist (he sits on a bee) it is he that ends up in the bullfight, where the humans—gasp—poke and stab bulls! But Ferdinand escapes this horrible fate simply by being himself.

An encouraging story for every child who has felt the weight of not being like everyone else.

Aside: I’m also often struck by how violent these older books can be. Would this fly in today’s market? Hmmm. Also, interesting political readings of this story ... but more on that later.

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Rebecca Grabill

Rebecca has been writing since childhood, her first book about a kitten published between homemade cardboard covers in second grade. Although she studied religion and philosophy in university, she continued writing, earning an MFA from Hamline University and publishing multiple picture books (no longer with homemade covers) and a collection of poetry with a variety of New York and independent publishers. She has also published a wide array of fiction, essays, and poetry in magazines and journals and photographs for Getty Images. She balances writing with homeschooling the younger of her six children, launching her young adults, church activities, and overseeing a small flock of chickens in rural West Michigan.

www.rebeccagrabill.com
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