The Story of Ferdinand

The The Story ofStory ofFERDINANDFERDINAND

bybyMUNRO LEAFMUNRO LEAF

Once upon a time in Once upon a time in Spain,Spain,

His name His name was was FerdinandFerdinand..

there was a little there was a little bull.bull.

All the other little bulls All the other little bulls he lived with would run he lived with would run and jump and butt their and jump and butt their heads together, but not heads together, but not Ferdinand. He liked to Ferdinand. He liked to just sit quietly and smell just sit quietly and smell the flowers.the flowers.

Ferdinand had a Ferdinand had a favorite spot out favorite spot out in the pasture in the pasture under a cork under a cork tree. It was his tree. It was his favorite tree, favorite tree, and he would sit and he would sit in its shade all in its shade all day and smell day and smell the flowers.the flowers.

Sometimes, Ferdinand’s Sometimes, Ferdinand’s mother, who was a cow, mother, who was a cow, would worry about him.would worry about him.

She was afraid She was afraid Ferdinand would be Ferdinand would be lonesome all by lonesome all by himself.himself.

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

But Ferdinand would shake his But Ferdinand would shake his head.head.

"I like it better "I like it better here, where I can here, where I can just sit quietly just sit quietly and smell the and smell the flowers."flowers."

His mother saw that he was not His mother saw that he was not lonesome, and because she was an lonesome, and because she was an understanding mother, even though understanding mother, even though she was a cow, she let him just sit she was a cow, she let him just sit

there and be happy.there and be happy.

As the years As the years went by, went by, Ferdinand grew Ferdinand grew and grew…and grew…

……until he was until he was very big and very big and strong.strong.

All the other bulls who had All the other bulls who had grown up with him in the grown up with him in the same pasture would fight same pasture would fight each other all day. They each other all day. They would butt each other and would butt each other and stick each other with their stick each other with their horns. What they wanted horns. What they wanted most of all was to be picked most of all was to be picked to fight at the bull fights in to fight at the bull fights in Madrid.Madrid.

But not But not Ferdinand.Ferdinand.

He still liked to just sit quietly He still liked to just sit quietly under the cork tree and smell the under the cork tree and smell the

flowers.flowers.

One day five men One day five men came in very funny came in very funny hats to pick the hats to pick the biggest, fastest, biggest, fastest, roughest bull to fight roughest bull to fight in the bull fights in in the bull fights in Madrid.Madrid.

All the other bulls ran around All the other bulls ran around snorting and butting, leaping and snorting and butting, leaping and jumping so the men would think jumping so the men would think that they were very very strong that they were very very strong

and fierce and pick them.and fierce and pick them.

Ferdinand knew that Ferdinand knew that they wouldn’t pick him.they wouldn’t pick him.

And he didn’t And he didn’t care.care.

So Ferdinand went out to So Ferdinand went out to his favorite cork tree to sit his favorite cork tree to sit down.down.

He didn't look where he He didn't look where he was sitting, and instead of was sitting, and instead of sitting on the nice cool sitting on the nice cool grass in the shade, he sat grass in the shade, he sat on a bumble bee.on a bumble bee.

Well, if you were a Well, if you were a bumble bee, and a bumble bee, and a bull sat on you, bull sat on you, what would you do? what would you do? You would sting You would sting him. And that is just him. And that is just what this bee did to what this bee did to Ferdinand.Ferdinand.

Wow! Did it hurt! Wow! Did it hurt! Ferdinand jumped up Ferdinand jumped up with a snort. He ran with a snort. He ran around puffing and around puffing and snorting, butting and snorting, butting and pawing the ground as pawing the ground as if he were crazy.if he were crazy.

The five men saw him and they The five men saw him and they all shouted with joy. here was all shouted with joy. here was the largest and fiercest bull of the largest and fiercest bull of

all. Just the one for the bull fights all. Just the one for the bull fights in Madrid! So they took him away in Madrid! So they took him away

for the bullfight day in a cart.for the bullfight day in a cart.

What a day it What a day it was! was!

Flags were flying, bands Flags were flying, bands were playing, and all the were playing, and all the lovely ladies had flowers in lovely ladies had flowers in their hair.their hair.

They had a parade into the bull They had a parade into the bull ring.ring.

First came the First came the Banderilleros with long Banderilleros with long sharp pins with ribbons on sharp pins with ribbons on them to stick in the bull them to stick in the bull and make him mad.and make him mad. Then next came Then next came

the Picadores, the Picadores, who rode skinny who rode skinny horses and had horses and had long spears to long spears to stick in the bull stick in the bull to make him to make him madder.madder.

Then came the Matador, Then came the Matador,

the proudest of the proudest of all. all.

He thought he was He thought he was very handsome, and very handsome, and he bowed to the he bowed to the ladies. He had a red ladies. He had a red cape and a sword cape and a sword and was supposed and was supposed to stick the bull last to stick the bull last of all.of all.

And you And you know know

who it who it was…was…

……don’t don’t you?you?

FERDINAND!FERDINAND!

They called him Ferdinand They called him Ferdinand the Fierce. All of the the Fierce. All of the Banderilleros were afraid of Banderilleros were afraid of him, and the Picadores were him, and the Picadores were afraid of him, and the afraid of him, and the Matador was scared stiff.Matador was scared stiff.

Ferdinand ran to the middle of Ferdinand ran to the middle of the ring, and everyone shouted the ring, and everyone shouted and clapped because they and clapped because they thought he was going to fight thought he was going to fight fiercely and butt and snort and fiercely and butt and snort and stick his horns around.stick his horns around.

But not But not Ferdinand.Ferdinand.

When he got to the middle of When he got to the middle of the ring, he saw the flowers in the ring, he saw the flowers in all the lovely ladies' hair and all the lovely ladies' hair and just sat down quietly and just sat down quietly and smelled.smelled.

He wouldn't fight and be He wouldn't fight and be fierce no matter what fierce no matter what they did. He just sat and they did. He just sat and smelled.smelled.

And the Banderilleros were And the Banderilleros were mad, and the Picadores were mad, and the Picadores were madder. madder.

The Matador was The Matador was so mad he cried so mad he cried because he because he couldn't show off couldn't show off with his cape and with his cape and sword.sword.

So, they had to take Ferdinand So, they had to take Ferdinand home.home.

And he is there still, And he is there still, under his favorite cork under his favorite cork tree, just quietly tree, just quietly smelling the flowers.smelling the flowers.

He is He is very very happy.happy.