Once upon a time in Spain there was a little bull and his name was Ferdinand. All the other little bulls he lived with would run and jump
and butt their heads together, but not Ferdinand. He liked to sit just quietly and smell the flowers. He had a favorite spot out in the
pasture under a cork tree. It was his favorite tree and he would sit in its shade all day and smell the flowers. Sometimes his mother,
who was a cow, would worry about him. She was afraid he would be lonesome all by himself. "Why don't you run and play with the
other little bulls and skipand butt your head?" she would say. But Ferdinand would shake his head. "I like it better here where I
can sit just quietly andsmell the flowers." His mother saw that he was not lonesome, and because she was an understanding
mother, even though she was a cow, she let him just sit there and be happy.

As the years went by Ferdinand grew andgrew until he was very big and strong. All the other bulls who had
grown up with him in the samepasture would fight each other all day. They would butt each other
and stick each other with theirhorns. What they wanted most of all was to be picked to fight at the
bull fights in Madrid. Butnot Ferdinand - he still liked to sit just quietly under the cork tree and smell
the flowers. One day fivemen came in very funny hats to pick the biggest, fastest and roughest bull to
fight in the bull fights inMadrid. All the other bulls ran around snorting and butting, leaping and jumping so
the men would think thatthey were very very strong and fierce and pick them. Ferdinand knew that they
wouldn't pick him and he didn't care. So he wount out to his favorite cork tree to sit down.

He didn't look where he was sitting and instead of sitting on the nice cool grass in the shade he sat on a bumble
bee. Well, if you were a bumble bee and a bull sat on you what would you do? You would sting him. And that is
just what this bee did to Ferdinand. Wow! Did it hurt! Ferdinand jumped up with a snort. He ran around puffing
and snorting, butting and pawing the ground as if he were crazy. The five men saw him and they all shouted with
joy. Here was the largest and fiercest bull of all. Just the one for the bull fights in Madrid!

So they took him away for the bullfight day in a cart. What a day it was! Flags were flying, bands were playing...
and all the lovely ladies had flowers in their hair. They had a parade ino the bull ring. First came the Banderilleros
with long sharp pins with ribbins on them to stick in the bull and make him mad. Next came the Picadores who
rode skinny horses and they had long spears to stick in the bull and make him madder. Then came the
Matador, the proudest of all - he thought he was very handsome, and bowed to the ladies. He had a red
cape and a sword and was supposed to stick the bull last of all.

Then came the bull, and you know who that was don't you? - FERDINAND. They called him Ferdinand
the Fierce and all of the Banderilleros were afraid of him and the Picadores were afraid of him and the
Matador was scared stiff. Ferdinand ran to the middle of the ring and everyone shouted and
clapped because they thought he was going to fight fiercely and butt and snort and stick his
horns around. But not ferdinand. When he got to the middle of the ring he saw
the flowers in all the lovely ladies' hair and he just sat down quietly and
smelled. He wouldn'tfight and be fierce no matter what they did. He
just satand smelled. And the Banderilleros were mad
and the Picadores were madder and the
Matador was so mad he cried because he
couldn't show off with his cape and sword.
So they had to take Ferdinand home. And
for all I know he is sitting there still, under
his favorite cork tree, smelling the
flowers just quietly.
He is very happy.