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    The Story of Ferdinand
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    The Story of Ferdinand
    Unavailable
    The Story of Ferdinand
    Audiobook10 minutes

    The Story of Ferdinand

    Written by Munro Leaf

    Narrated by Angel Pineda and Brian Amador

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    With music and sound effects, this audiobook is perfect for those who love Ferdinand and those who have yet to meet him.

    A true classic with a timeless message, The Story of Ferdinand has enchanted readers since it was first published in 1936. All the other bulls would run and jump and butt their heads together. But Ferdinand would rather sit and smell the flowers. And he does just that, until the day a bumblebee and some men from the Madrid bullfights give gentle Ferdinand a chance to be the most ferocious star of the corrida-and the most unexpected comic hero.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateSep 13, 2016
    ISBN9781524756802
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for The Story of Ferdinand

    4.5/5

    1,029 ratings65 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I found this children's book as and adult and fell instantly in love. Though my own love of this story, the children in my class also came to love and appreciate Ferdinand and it's message. It's the story of the bull who just did not want to fight. He simply wanted to smell the flowers.
    • 5/5
      This is a great easy read! I think this book would be really nice for students who are really working towards becoming fluent readers. The text is large and complicated. The story itself is very cute and a great example of how we are not all the same, some people prefer quiet and calm, while others prefer loud and crazy days. It can also be used as a quick study about Spain and bull fighting. It was a great fun book!
    • 5/5
      DO U KNOW FERDINAND?? With my spirited child I can feel my unconscious biases sliding insidiously toward "spirited" and away from "gentle," but this is the absolute classic story of a gentle flower-loving guy who ruins everyone's bloodsport by just being a sweetheart and also by "preferring not to," Bartlebianly.
    • 5/5
      I loved this bull when I was a kid, and I still love him today! In many ways, I feel like he and I are kindred spirits! It's always good to smell the flowers!
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this book. I will be able to use this book to teach the importance of being gentle. This book is a fantasy book. This book was beautifully illustrated.
    • 5/5
      Ferdinand is the world's most peaceful--and--beloved little bull. While all of the other bulls snort, leap, and butt their heads, Ferdinand is content to just sit and smell the flowers under his favorite cork tree. This beloved story is great for younger readers. This was one of my favorite books growing up. I used to read it over and over until i never made a mistake while reading it. The illustrations are dull however really capture the true essence of the authors purpose. The text is cohesive and large enough to read. There are a lot of words on every page for being a picture book, however, the story line is very interesting.
    • 5/5
      I really love this story of the bull who wants to go his own way, his hapless involvement in bullfighting, and his placid refusal to fight. Plus, his mama, who wanted to make sure that her son was okay -- then when she saw he was happy, she gave the bovine equivalent of a shrug and said well enough. ¡Viva el torro!
    • 5/5
      Review:"The Story of Ferdinand" has always been one of my favorites since I was a child. Ferdinand is just a sweet little bull who does not like to rough house like the others, all he wants to do is sit under his cork tree and smell flowers. Ferdinand does not care what other individuals think, he does what he wants to do even though he has the pressure to do what others want him to do. Great book with a great message. Summary:The children's book, "The Story of Ferdinand", is about a bull named Ferdinand who loves his life in Madrid. All of his friends like to rough house and butt heads together, but not Ferdinand. It's the time of the year where people are looking for a strong and tough bull to fight in Madrid but Ferdinand knows it will not be him they will choose so he goes back under his cork tree smelling his flowers. The men look over to the cork tree and see Ferdinand freaking out and bouncing all over the place. The men pick him to be in the fight but little do they know, Ferdinand was just stung by a bee! He does not like or want to fight. Do you think Ferdinand will become a fighter like his friends once he arrives in Madrid? Read to find out!
    • 4/5
      Summary: Ferdinand was a bull who wasn't like any other bull. He didn't want to run and butt heads and horns like all the other bulls in his pasture. He finds a cork tree and sits under it all day just quietly smelling the flowers. Ferdinand grows up to be big a strong but still doesn't like to butt heads and fight like the other bulls. All the other bulls are getting ready to be picked for the bull fights in Madrid and when the men come to pick out the bull they want for the fights, Ferdinand goes to sit under his tree like any normal day because he knows he will not get picked since he is not fierce and mean like the other bulls. He accidentally sits on a bumble bee and it stings him throwing him into a pain induced frenzy. This causes him to appear fierce and crazy and the men choose him for the bull fight. When the fight comes all the ladies in the audience have flowers in their hair and Ferdinand sits in the middle of the arena and smells the flowers instead of fighting the people. They take him back home where the author is sure he is still sitting under his tree and is happy.Personal Reaction: I love this story because it shows that just because you are expected to act a certain way doesn't make one have to act that way. We can choose who we want to be ourselves. Classroom Extension Ideas: 1. Ask my students what their parents do.2. Have my students write down what they want to be when they grow up.
    • 5/5
      Grades: k-3modern fantasyI gave The Story of Ferdinand five stars for a few different reasons. I found it to be an adorable story that describes happiness, mild-temper, and peacefulness in an unexpected place, a bull. All the other bulls in Ferdinand's pasture are competitive and aggressive but not Ferdinand. A freak accident causes him to be choses for a bull fight, but even under such pressure Ferdinand does not lose his peaceful nature. I also think that this is a great book to use in the classroom because it takes place in Spain and introduces students to a new culture, or makes students from this culture feel included. It also has a great message to kids that you do not need to be competitive to be happy =).
    • 5/5
      A favorite from my childhood, and an enduring story for every child. Ferdinand shows that it's okay to be different, to not want to fight, and to take it slow and smell the flowers.
    • 4/5
      Ferdinand is a bull who is not like the other bulls. All the other bulls like to fight and knock heads, but not Ferdinand. He has a sweetheart and stands up for himself even when put under pressure. This timeless classic is heartwarming.
    • 5/5
      Summary: This story talks about a bull who is very content being by himself and enjoying the smell of the flowers around him. All of Ferdinand friends wants to become bulls that fight in the Madrid, but not Ferdinand. By accident Ferdinand is chosen for the fight but does not do what he is told. Eventually Ferdinand finds his way back to his favorite pasture under his tree enjoying the smell of the flowers. Personal Reaction: I love this book and how it can make kids know that they do not have to be the one in the crowd and its ok to be alone sometimes. I like how it talks about spain and uses many spanish words in the story, this will make the students ask questions about the culture of Spain. Classroom Extension Ideas:1. I would love this book during multicultural week in the classroom. and discuss Spain and then try to see if any of the kids families were from Spain. 2. In the classroom we could celebrate the bull fighting festival in Madrid.
    • 4/5
      This story is just as I remembered as a child and I enjoyed rereading it as an adult. The pictures draw you in with their simple black and white lines. Ferdinand's mother and Ferdinand have human qualities in their facial expressions when interacting mimicking a true mother child relationship in their acceptance of each other and of the mother's worry regarding Ferdinand's choices. Humor is interjected when Ferdinand sits on the bee and is chosen as the bull to fight. The reader can feel the crowds frustration and surprise when Ferdinand reveals his true colors in the bull ring. It's a satisfying treat when Ferdinand is peaceably returned to his cork tree to pursue his true interest of smelling the flowers in the shade. Don't forget to smell the roses! Be true to one's self! These two inherent truths are relayed with humor and illustration and the story makes you smile with contentment of their realization at the end.
    • 3/5
      A great story about self-acceptance
    • 5/5
      The Story of Ferdinand is a wonderful book that captures the essence of obtaining happiness in ones life. Ferdinand wasn't like the other bulls, he enjoyed the simplicity in life. Ferdinand loved to sit and smell the flowers while the other bulls were butting heads and jumping around. Though the illustrations are in black and white they depict the true meaning of the story. Through the illustrations you can see when Ferdinand is himself and is happy and you can see when he feels uncomfortable and unhappy. Ferdinand is the well developed main character in the story, you truly know who he is. The book pushes the readers to think about what makes them happy, even if it makes you different it's okay as long as you have happiness in your life.
    • 5/5
      Such a great book! A timeless story of pacifism and the simple beauties of life, Ferdinand is a great book to teach children that being different is okay, in fact it is great.
    • 4/5
      I was introduced to this book 2 years ago when the movie the Blindside came out. I love the message of the story, which was to always be you, even if you are unique. The main character in this story is a large bull, who is expected to fight the matadors in the ring. When he is sold and taken to the ring he doesn't go after the matadors. He sits in the middle of the ring, and holds the flowers that had fallen off of one the the matadors. He is a gentle bull and because of this, he is sent back to the pastures to relax and enjoy life. I really liked the illustrations in this book. They were more of a sketch type then a printed animated picture. The facial expressions on Ferdinand are what makes the book more interesting. There was really only one character that was talked about so that also makes this story easy to follow.
    • 5/5
      Truly a classic, and one of my favorites from an early age. The gentle bull who loved flowers, and whose sensitivity made him different reassured me that it was ok to prefer sitting and smelling the flowers to fighting and performing in search of fame and glory. The illustrations are truly wonderful.
    • 4/5
      Originally published in 1936 (75 years anniversary in 2011!), this is the tale of Ferdinand, the peaceful and content bull who "liked to sit just quietly and smell the flowers" in his favorite spot under the cork tree. He had a wonderful mom who was "an understanding mother" that "let him just sit there and be happy."
    • 4/5
      Subject Area: Language ArtsGenre: FantasyCritique/Summary:The author's tale of a peaceful bull is an example of fantasy because the reader is shown the bull's thoughts and feelings. However, the setting is an accurate portrayal of traditional Spanish culture (Spain.)(Stars for theme)Age: Primary
    • 5/5
      The Story of Ferdinand is about a young bull who does not want to play with all the other bulls. He only wants to sit under his favorite tree and smell the flowers. Until, one day he was picked to be in the bull fights in Madrid, but still he would not fight no matter how mad they tried to make him. He sat in the middle of the ring to smell all the flowers the women had. So, they took him home so he could be happy under his favorite tree smelling the flowers.
    • 4/5
      The young bull Ferdinand was not like other young bulls who lived in Spain in the way he did not like to fight or butt heads. He would rather spend time by himself smelling flowers under his favorite tree. When they are all grown the other bulls begin showing off so they may be chosen to go to the great bull fight in Madrid. Ferdinand is mistakenly chosen because he absentmindedly sits on a bee while smelling the flowers and begins to go crazy, jumping and kicking. So he is hauled off to Madrid. When the time comes to enter the ring, there are thousands of people in the stand ready for the fight, but Ferdinand just wanders into the middle of the ring and smells the flowers that the ladies are wearing. Everyone is very mad and tries to get Ferdinand to fight, but to no avail. He is finally taken back to his pasture and released to sit under his tree where he may still be today.I remember this story as one of my favorites when I was young. It doesn't seem to be read to children much anymore.This story could be used in the classroom to discuss how being different is okay. Even though Ferdinand was enticed to fight, he did what he wanted no matter what anyone else thought. Children could view the story in this way and discuss how they are different from each other, in positive ways.
    • 5/5
      This beautifully told story of a bull who wanted nothing more than to have a peaceful sit, under tree so to smell the flowers... the pictures depict the mood of the story in such a way, you can't feel for our protagonist. The book teach's empathy to the reader which could set a great calming vibe to a classroom.
    • 3/5
      This is the story of Ferdinand, a bull who would love nothing more than to sit under a tree in the shade and smell the flowers. When men come to find a bull to fight the madedor all the other bulls act tuff while Ferdinand sits under his tree and gets stung by a bee. When he begins to run around because of the sting the men choose him. He ends up not fighting and is returned to his farm where he can once again sit in the shade, smelling the flowers. This is a longer story with black and white pictues. It did not hold the attention of my six year old for very long. I would probably not use this book in my classroom.
    • 5/5
      I had seen the cartoon on TV, as usual books are better :)
    • 3/5
      This is a must read every time I watch the neighbor's kids. They love this book. It is a favorite of mine as well. The main theme of the book is that you can be happy doing something even if nobody else is doing it.Ferdinand is a bull that like to quietly sniff flowers instead of butting heads. The storyline is simple, and direct. For example instead of wanting to fight the others, he always wanted to sit under a tree and smell flowers. This was a consistent line in the book.I also liked the simple black and white drawings. I found the simple pictures to add to the story. The texture also allowed for more depth to the illustrations. A fun and simple story.
    • 5/5
      Ferdinand is one of the greatest children's books ever written. With a message of pacifism and a focus on the beauty of life, this story is timeless. Amongst a culture of violence and selfishness, Ferdinand is a powerful role model for anyone who aspires to be a lover and not a fighter, and shows us that it is okay to be different and peacefully resist the status quo.
    • 4/5
      Loved that the book was so straightforward and easy to understand, cute book that took an unexpected turn when Ferdinand got picked. This would be a great story for a child to understand and use the pictures for assistance. The book is very linear and the black and white illustrations were cute and simple and went along well with the story.
    • 5/5
      The story of the gentle bull is one of the most peaceful and loving messages I have seen in a children's story book. There are not as many pictures in it but the words are so strong and meaningful. The author chooses to tell the message of peace through a young bull who does not want to fight. All of the other bulls want to run around and fight each other but all Ferdinand wants to do is smell the flowers and watch the clouds go by. He wants to choose peace. This is a powerful message because not only does it show the importance of choosing peace, but it also shows the main characters strength in doing what he thinks is right. He is independent and does not do what all the other bulls are doing which tells the readers to follow their own hearts and do what they think is right.