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Monday, April 04, 2005
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SNAPSHOTS FROM HOME To the left of the green front door (hung with deer antlers, which you know if you’ve been reading UD with care) of UD’s house, there’s a small gold plaque with FERDINAND HOUSE written on it. The last owner of UD’s house (it's a small brown house in a small green town) was Munro Leaf, author of The Story of Ferdinand. UD knew Leaf’s widow slightly, a woman who, at the age of eighty, traveled on her own to Machu Picchu. UD wanted to honor the author of Ferdinand, so she not only put up the plaque, but she found a topiary bull and put that in her front yard. The Story of Ferdinand was a big hit in its day: ‘ Leaf's children's story of a Spanish bull with a gentle nature and a passion for flowers becomes a phenomenal success. Within thirteen months, eight editions are published, a Ferdinand balloon is featured in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and a Ferdinand song becomes a hit. In 1938, The Story of Ferdinand for a time kept Gone with the Wind from the top spot on the bestseller list. Leaf was an English teacher who wrote and illustrated Grammar Can Be Fun (1934), Manners Can Be Fun (1936), and Safety Can Be Fun (1938).’ He wrote it in an hour: ' One Sunday afternoon in 1935, Leaf decided to write a children's story so that his close friend Robert Lawson (a relatively unknown illustrator) could show his talents. In less than one hour, Leaf composed the beloved 800-word story as it stands today, nearly 60 years later. When published by Viking in 1936 as The Story of Ferdinand, the book sparked controversy. With the Spanish Civil War waging [UD thinks they mean "raging"], political critics charged it was a satirical attack on aggression. In Germany, Hitler order the book burned while fellow dictator Stalin granted it privileged status as the only non-communist children's book allowed in Poland. And India's spiritual leader Gandhi called it his favorite book. In spite of the notoriety, the nation embraced the peaceable bull. That same year, Leaf published his second most popular book, Manners Can Be Fun, illustrated with the notorious "watchbird" stick figures who observe the behavior of boys and girls. Since Leaf's death in 1976 at age 71, Ferdinand continues to charm children worldwide as the simple story is retold in more than 60 language translations. ' Indeed Ferdinand still sells well. UD is very proud to be living in the Leaf house. |
