The Story of Ferdinand

     The Story of Ferdinand (New York, Viking, 1938), by Munro Leaf and illustrated by Robert Lawson, is one of my favorite picture books of all time.

     Once upon a time, on a farm somewhere in Spain, there was a little bull born named Ferdinand. All the other little bulls he lived with in their pasture would run and jump and butt their heads together - but not Ferdinand. Instead, he liked to just sit quietly and smell the flowers, watching the world go by under his favorite cork tree. His mother, a cow, was worried about him; because little bulls do not usually watch the world go by. But Ferdinand explained that he wasn't lonesome and he was having a good time, and because she was an understanding mother (even if she was only a cow) she let him be.
     All young bulls, no matter what their personality or behavioral quirks, must grow, and so Ferdinand also grew to be a big, strong, fearsome animal. Fearsome in appearance, that is - he still loved to sit and smell the flowers. All the other bulls would fight each other all day long, because they wanted to be one of the bulls chosen to be in the big bull fights in Madrid. But Ferdinand just watched, like always.
     One day five men in very funny hats came down for Madrid to select which bulls would be chosen as the biggest, roughest, and fastest one of them all. So all the other bulls were butting each other and sticking each other with their sharp horns. They snorted and bucked and leaped and jumped so that the men would think they were very very strong and fierce and pick them. Ferdinand knew they would never pick him, and he didn't care, so what was the point of showing off? He walked to his favorite cork tree and sat down - right on A BEE. Bees do not enjoy being sat on. So this one stung Ferdinand, right on the rump. And that HURT! So Ferdinand rose up with a snort, and he ran around puffing and snorting, butting and pawing the ground as if he were crazy. The five men in the funny hats were delighted - this must be the bull for the trip to Madrid!
     So they took him away in a funny-looking cart, and there was a great celebration in Madrid. (Mr. Ernest Hemingway writes a lot about it in his novel The Sun Also Rises.) Flags were flying, bands were playing, and (best of all for Ferdinand) all the ladies were wearing pretty-smelling flowers in their hair. There was a parade into the bullring - first came the Banderilleros with long pointy sticks to poke the bull and make him mad. And next came the Picadores on skinny, horses, who carried long sharp spears to jab the bull with and make him even madder. Finally came the Matador, who was very vain (for the ladies all thought he was quite handsome) and he had a red cape and a sword, and he was supposed to stick them into the bull last of all. And then after that came the bull. You know who that was, right? Yes, that's right - it was Ferdinand.
     All the people in the crowd called him Ferdinand the Fierce and all the Banderilleros were afraid of him, and all the Picadores were afraid of him, and the Matador was scared stiff. Ferdinand ran into the middle of the ring, and everyone in the crowd cheered and clapped their hands, thinking that he would now act very fierce and scary and give them all a good show. But Ferdinand saw all the nice-smelling flowers the pretty ladies were wearing, and so he just sat down and smelled. This made the Banderilleros very mad, and it made the Picadores even madder, and the vain Matador was so mad he cried, because he couldn't show off with his fancy cape and sword.
     So they had to take Ferdinand home, since he wouldn't fight. And for all I know, he may be there under his favorite cork tree still, smelling the flowers.

     It would be hard to say how much I love this book. For one thing, fighting should only be done if it must (like if you are stung by a bee). Otherwise, it is much more interesting to watch all the other bulls in the pasture running and jumping and butting their heads together, because that is conflict, which is needed in a good story. And those come from long moments of sitting quietly and observing the world.

#Wesley

Open Wide: Tooth School Inside

     Laurie Keller's first book, The Scrambled States of America, was a runaway success. So her second book, Open Wide: Tooth School Inside (New York: Henry Holt, 2000) takes the same educational-ish-while-still-being-hysterical format and applies it to dentistry(not the most exciting or interesting subject). But told in this way, it works really well.

     We spend the day in the halls of Tooth School, following the students throughout their day, from the Pledge of Allegiance("I pledge allegiance to this mouth, and to the dentist who takes care of us. And to the gums on which we stand, strong and healthy, with toothbrushes and toothpaste for all.") to the end-of-day bell. The cast we particularly follow is Dr. Flossman and the 32 students in his class. There are the eight incisors, Omar, Liza, Elvis, Sherrie, Sally, Sam, Ira and Ingrid. They're sort of used to being the center of attention. There are the four canines of Candy, Conan, Christy and Carl. The eight (musical) premolars have their own choir; they are Lola, Charlie, Pinky, Penelope, Rosie, Boopsy, Preston and Pedro. Then there are the twelve molars - Rusty, Martin, Marilyn, Marky, Bubba, Millicent, Roland and Melody. (What's that? You only counted eight molars? That's because the rest are Wisdom Teeth. Yep. Edward, Wallace, Wendy and Evelyn. They're weird smart. Like they yawn through episodes of Jeopardy!, saying that the questions are too easy.).
     Principal Fillingston gives his daily announcements over the intercom - there's some bridge work being done, so buses might be a little late today. And there will be a dance after the Chompers' football game on Friday night against the Plaqueville Germs. (Wallace Molar is reading a copy of the Canine in the Rye during these announcements, and Liza Incisor is stuck up.) Almost everyone failed last week's quiz on what healthy teeth ought to look like, so Dr. Flossman has to explain all that info again, including what the teeth are made out of. The part that can be seen is the crown. The outside layer is made of enamel, which is a hard coating protecting them from bacteria and germs.  Under that coating is dentin, which makes up most of the teeth. Pulp is what hurts when one of the teeth has an ache. The root keeps each tooth in place, fastened to the gums by a thin layer called cementum.
     Sally Incisor then reads her (rather incoherent) essay on the Tooth Fairy, and Dr. Flossman plays a videotape so the class can learn more about her. Then it's time for lunch, so everyone breaks into their groups: the incisors are food cutters, the canines food tearers, the premolars food crushers, and the molars are food grinders. (Martin Molar's mother made him a peanut-butter-and-onion sandwich.) During lunch there's a food fight, and then recess. (Preston Premolar had dirt for lunch, and Carl Canine and Lola Premolar are a couple, according to a mark on the schoolyard tree.) A terrifying lesson on cavities is next, so the terrified teeth hastily brush themselves clean. Dr. Flossman reads to them from the bestselling book So You've Got Yourself a Cavity, by Dr. Lou Stooth, then he promotes the Wisdom Teeth onward for higher learning. (Roland Molar is running for Student Council President, according to a banner in the hallway.)
     The history reports need to be read next, and we find out that ancient Egyptians believed that an onion, spice and incense mix would cure toothaches. (And maybe it did. They knew their medicine.) Mayans filed their teeth into different shapes (OUCH!!!!) and decorated them with jewels, while in the early 1600's Japanese women blackened their teeth (ew) to show loyalty to their husbands. Then the school bell rings, and everyone is free for the day. Except for the two quizzes of homework in the back of the book, one true/false and the other multiple choice. This helps reinforce the educational facts we've learned throughout the book.

     The final two pages are more entertaining scribbles adding depth to the world of these teeth, similar to the comments in the margins from The Scrambled States of America. It's a very well-written and well-drawn book, which ought to be read by pretty much everyone with kids, in my opinion.

#Wesley

The Giving Tree

      First, let me just point out that Shel Silverstein was one of the scariest-looking people on Earth. Anyway, he could write, though; even if most of his stuff is rather strange. But The Giving Tree(New York: Harper and Row, 1964) is one of the best picture books ever written, I'd say, because of the sacrificial love the tree displays.

     The plot is simple: There is a boy who climbs a tree and eats her apples, swings from her branches, carves messages into the bark of the trunk, etc. Eventually, though, he gets older, and then he carves a girl's name into the trunk, not spending as much time with the tree. This makes the tree lonely, but she still loves the boy. He says that he would like some money, and while the tree doesn't have any(being a tree, obviously), she suggests that the boy gather her apples and sell them in the market. So he climbs into her branches again, "and the tree was happy."
     Then the boy goes away again for a very long time. Then he comes back as a middle-aged man, and asks if the tree can help him get a house. (This doesn't make much sense if you think about it too long.) The tree has a house already - the woods - but she suggests that the boy cut off her branches and make a house out of them. (What kind of house can be made out of chopped-up tree branches, I've always sorta wondered.)
     He stays away for another very long time, returning as an old man seeking to get away from everything. So the tree says that he can cut off most of her trunk to use as a boat, if he wishes. (The picture shows that the trunk gets chopped off at the girl's name he'd marked all those years earlier, leading me to think for a long time that he had gotten married to the girl "Y.L." and then they divorced. But seeing how elderly the man is on writing this review, I think it's more likely that that girl died of some sickness.)
     After another long time, the tree is just a wizened stump, and the boy is now ancient and feeble. The tree apologizes that she has nothing left to give him, but the boy says that he is too old and weak to do anything except sit and rest. So the tree admits that stumps are very good for resting upon. "'Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest.' So the Boy did. And the tree was happy."

     This book can be seen as a great depiction of the tree's selfless love, which is how I usually see it. Other people have complained that the relationship between the tree and the boy is abusive, which I can kind of see, too. The boy never thanks the tree or does anything for her; he just always takes. I guess it just depends on how you wanted to look at it. Either way, this is one of the most influential picture books of the twentieth century.

#Wesley

What's Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done by Matt Perman

★★★★★

(2014)

When I started What's Best Next I had never heard of the author, never heard of the book, and had no idea my life was about to be changed.  I simply chose it at random as an audio book to listen to in the car.  I did listen in the car, and the idea of gospel-driven productivity appealed to me so deeply that when the book ended, I immediately started it again.  Then I bought a physical copy of the book and poured over it with a highlighter.

Matt Perman clearly and logically uses scripture to show that

"there is no distinction between learning how to be productive and learning how to live the Christian life altogether, for both are about how we are to live in this world for the glory of God.  The way we go about handling our email, making appointments, running meetings, attending classes, and running the kids to where they need to go are not distinct from the everyday life of sanctification that God calls us to but are themselves a fundamental part of it.  We are to 'be wise' in them just as we are to be wise in the things that directly pertain to salvation; indeed the way we go about them is an expression of our Christlikeness and sanctification."

He explains how productivity is about getting the right things done and how good works are anything you do in faith, even tying your shoes.  I am just going to keep reading and keep listening to this book until these truths have soaked into my soul and start oozing out my actions.

--by Jatina  :)

The Scrambled States of America

     Laurie Keller's Scrambled States of America (New York: Henry Holt, 1998) is one of my favorite picture books of all time. (Which is saying something, because there's a lot of really great ones out there.) This was her first book, after working several years as a Hallmark greeting-card designer.

     It's narrated by a man named Sam, who opens by telling us that he bets that we've heard it all, but that not many people know this story. Ohio and Virginia rush up, both wanting to tell this story, but Sam tells them to get back in their places. Then he begins: "It was just your basic, ordinary day in the good ol' U.S. of A., and all the states were waking up, having their first cups of morning coffee, and enjoying the beautiful sunrise." (All the states, that is, except for Kansas.) How do we know this? Well, because he tells us so: "I'M NOT FEELING HAPPY AT ALL!" he yells. His very kind best friend Nebraska asks him what's wrong. "I don't know, I just feel bored. All day long we just stand here in the middle of the country. We never GO anywhere. We never DO anything. And we NEVER meet any NEW states!" So Nebraska thinks a while, deciding that Kansas might have a point.
     So then Kansas has the idea to invite all the other states to a get-to-know-you party, they enlist their neighbors Missouri and Iowa to help plan, and "those wacky little Midwestern states planned the biggest party ever," according to Sam. (Keller throws in wonderful little background details like Nebraska's disgusted expression while licking stamps, and Iowa's uncertainty how to spell Connecticut. Guess he didn't read Yo, Millard Fillmore!)
     At the party, Tennessee drops his fork at least three times and Nevada and Mississippi fall in love. Late into the evening, Idaho and Virginia have the idea to switch places, so each can see a different part of the country. Everyone else loves this idea, and everyone quickly makes plans to swap with someone. (This works out better for some states than others. Indiana, Alabama and New York all switch places with California, for example.) But as Roy, a minor character from Peanuts, once said of Charlie Brown: "He's the type that makes a good temporary friend." The states realize this wasn't the best arrangement, as Alaska has Michigan's thumb tickling one side of him and Oklahoma's Panhandle jabbing into the other. Arizona's hair keeps getting destroyed by the waves where South Carolina used to live.
     Even faster than they made the first trip, everyone wanted very quickly to go home as soon as they could. (So in Virginia's bus, West Virginia and Ohio play Go Fish to pass the time. Colorado hikes, Indiana skateboards ) There's lot to talk about when they get home; Alaska's joke-telling skills, Minnesota explaining how awful sunburns are, and samples of food were exchanged to give to neighbors. The final two pages are filled with quick sketches of landmarks interacting, like Minnesota's 10,000 Lakes visiting the Grand Canyon. It's really entertaining, and a great way to wrap up the story.

#Wesley

About the Temporary Title

     "This is my favorite book in all the world, although I have never read it."

     This is one of the default quotes about literature I use off the top of my head; since it is the introductory sentence to William Goldman's classic tale of true love and high adventure, The Princess Bride. (And what a great opening sentence, right? You have to see what comes next.) Also a good quote, from a theologian named Thomas a Kempis: "Whenever I have a little spare money, I buy books. If I have any left over, I buy food."

     The temporary title of this blog, Dust-Jacket Judgmentalism, came for a simple reason: Mom and Courtney loathe dust jackets. I'm not sure why. But the alliteration sounded good as a title once we got the idea to start this blog. Enjoy!

#Wesley