That's Bull

Librarian and doctoral candidate Sharon McQueen explores the success and controversy behind Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson’s The Story of Ferdinand, a 72-year-old picture book about a pacifist bull.

Why was Ferdinand so controversial?

Everyone’s got their own opinion. That’s why the book was controversial—due to these various interpretations and the fact that it happened to be published, and it was successful, during a period of widespread conflict. A high percentage of readers strongly identify with Ferdinand. They see him the way the author did, as an individual choosing his own path. As Munro Leaf himself said, it’s “a happy-ending story about being yourself.”

Did the timing of the book’s release have a political agenda?

The notion that the book was written as some sort of reaction to the Spanish Civil War was an assumption that was so oft repeated as to now be considered fact. In fact, Munro Leaf wrote the story in October of 1935. The Spanish Civil War broke out roughly nine months later, in July of 1936.

Why was it banned in some countries if it was seen as a pacifist book?

As World War II was heating up, and many countries were either engaged in warfare or preparing for war, a book that sent a message of nonviolence was not always considered desirable.