By Maria
I have chosen the story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf. It was written in 1936 by an American author but the story takes place in Spain. It tells the tale of a young bull named Ferdinand who was expected to take part in the Spanish bull fights in Madrid. He became a healthy and strong bull but, unlike all the other bulls, Ferdinand only wanted to live in peace among the flowers under a cork tree. His feelings were very different to those of the other young bulls, making him unique and different. I like that Ferdinand chose to do what he loved and he didn’t judge or criticize the other bulls who wanted to fight. So, in my opinion, the stronger moral in the story is to find what makes you happy and do that regardless of what others say and expect from you. Another meaningful character in the story is Ferdinand’s mother. She understood and accepted his decisions without trying to make him reconsider.
The general and dictator Francisco Franco, who ruled over Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975, saw the book as being pacifist, so it was banned in Spain for the duration of his rule. Hitler, who was a supporter of Franco, called it degenerate propaganda and had it burned.
The story is still available as a book: The Story of Ferdinand (actually it has over 60 foreign translations and I have read that it has never gone out of print). Also, the story was adapted into a Walt Disney film which won a 1938 Academy Award. An American 3D computer animated fantasy film called Ferdinand, that is based on this story, is scheduled to be released in December of this year.