The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf

  

Here's another flashback post to last year and a book we loved: The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf. Ever notice how you read books differently as an adult than you did as a kid? When we read Ferdinand, my first thought was, "This is the best representation of an introvert I've ever read in literature. I mean, he liked being by himself in his favorite spot and that was okay. I also love the way that his mother gives him the freedom to be who he is. Brilliant parenting." We can all learn a lot from Ferdinand.

The pen and ink drawings by Robert Lawson are amazing: the expression on the various matadors faces, Ferdinand being stung by a bee, and all the little details throughout the book. We tried our hand at drawing and painting with black paint, adding in details with a fine black marker, and using perspective in our drawings. See the difference in size between Ferdinand and the tiny person in this picture?

Ferdinand in the ring by Ella

Ferdinand as a calf by Ella

Ferdinand's mother by Mabel

Since we "rowed" this book in spring and it was near the end of the school year, I was not quite so creative or pinterest-happy as at the beginning of the school year. However after a year of doing our Five in a Row studies, the kids filled in the gaps. Ella said, "Let's go outside and pretend to be bulls in a meadow." And they did. Then we decided to go on a walk and smell all of the flowers that were blooming and find our favorite smells. One vote for lavender, one for light pink roses, one for dark pink roses.

 
And the peonies were in bloom!