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I just realized that this is a great unschooling story. Little Ferdinand likes to sit just quietly and smell the flowers, and his mom leaves him be. The other bulls all bump and fight to reach the bullfights in Madrid (with no mention of what their ultimate fate will be - perhaps like getting a soul-crushing job?). Somehow Ferdinand gets picked to go the bullfights, but what will the bull who's used to doing how own thing do? I'd prefer not to give it away in case you haven't read it, but it was the first book we received as a gift and has been one of our favorites ever since.

I like this book a lot, but I frequently have a tiny voice inside of me that objects to the way the book romanticizes bull-fighting.  I think maybe the bull-fighting part isn't the most important aspect of the story, but still, it bothers me.  But overall, I do still like the book.  Hopefully I will eventually be able to bring up a conversation with my children as to why I object to bull-fighting. 

But I think the bull-fighting is representative of the mindless stuff people do instead of being themselves.  All those other bulls try to get attention so they can be the chosen for a bullfight, not knowing that the they will die.  It's like going to school, getting grades to impress people and getting a job to impress people, all the while the real you slowly and surely dies away.

At least that's how I interpret the story.  And it will eventually lead to a discussion as to what bullfights are really about.