The Story Of Ferdinand Analysis

Analysis: “The Story of Ferdinand” Since the first picture book, children have been taught messages and lessons about life through fanciful prose and whimsical illustrations. These themes have been immortalized in the minds of the children, and ultimately, shared with their offspring when they grew up due to the strong significance that still resonates with them from their own childhood. This cycle is the process of how piece of children’s literature becomes a classic. Not just any book can ascend to this level; it takes a remarkable book that uses illustrations to not just underline the story, but to also augment it. Munro Leaf’s “The Story of Ferdinand” teaches kids the importance of being true to whom you are, and that pacifism is
The pictures on the corresponding page tightly match the idea, dialogue or event mentioned. Lawson has the freedom to show what he feels each character and place looks like. Black and white drawings are utilized. While some may find this limiting, what it does is forces the reader to closely inspect each picture. The illustrations are so basic that it could misleadingly cause someone to believe that they do not contain any detail beyond just what is said. But they brilliance in the drawings, is that it gives just enough to allow the reader to have a jumping off point. A small child would then be able to finish he story in their mind, thanks the nudging help of Lawson’s
This serves the narrative purpose to support one of Leaf’s themes: pacifism is always superior to aggression. The big action scene of the book is when Ferdinand sits on the bumble bee, and begins to snort and run around due to the pain. Lawson shows this sequence in the book quite simply. We see Ferdinand’s rear end as he is about to sit on the bee, and the bee has an expected look of fear in its eyes. After the bee stings him, Ferdinand has a look of surprised pain shown through large drawn eyes, and lines of exclamation drawn around his head. The action of Ferdinand running around is not done with multiple pages, but rather in one. It shows Ferdinand jumping with same large eyes and exclamation lines, but it also shows clumps of sod and flowers in the air that he has kicked up in his mania. The other main action in the story, is the action that doesn’t happen. In the ring, the angry matador, the picadors and the banderilleros try in vain to make Ferdinand angry so that he will strike back at them. However, in Lawson’s illustration, young readers see that no matter what they do to try and incite him, Ferdinand sits there happily smelling the scents of the ladies’ flowers. This scene seems understated, but its simplicity is powerful and helps highlight Leaf’s theme about pacifism being stronger than aggression. It would be easy to act out of anger, but Ferdinand is restrained he decides to be happy about smelling the