Munro Leaf
Encyclopedia
Wilbur Monroe Leaf (December 4, 1905 – December 21, 1976), was an American
author
of children's literature
who wrote and illustrated nearly 40 books during his 40-year career. He is best known for The Story of Ferdinand
(1936), a children's classic which he wrote on a yellow legal-length pad in less than an hour. Labeled as subversive, it stirred an international controversy.
Born in Hamilton, Maryland
, Leaf graduated from the University of Maryland
in 1927 and from Harvard University
with a Master's degree
in English literature
in 1931. He taught secondary school and then worked as an editor with the publisher Frederick A. Stokes
Company. Leaf once commented, "Early on in my writing career I realized that if one found some truths worth telling they should be told to the young in terms that were understandable to them."
He wrote The Story of Ferdinand
for his friend, illustrator Robert Lawson
. The story, which follows a gentle bull
in rural Spain who prefers smelling flowers to bullfighting
, sparked considerable controversy because Ferdinand was regarded by some as a pacifist symbol. Banned in Spain and burned as propaganda in Nazi Germany
, the book had over 60 foreign translations and has never gone out of print. The story was adapted into a Walt Disney film which won a 1938 Academy Award.
Leaf and Lawson's second collaboration, Wee Gillis, about a boy living in Scotland halfway between his father's family in the Highlands and his mother's in the Lowlands, was cited as a 1939 Caldecott Honor Book.
and was later collected into several books.
During the Second World War, Leaf and Ted Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss
) created the pamphlet, This Is Ann, about a mosquito spreading malaria to men who failed to take precautions.
On April 22, 1995, Leaf was inducted into the University of Maryland
Alumni Hall of Fame. Some of his books have been brought back into print in recent years.
set The Story of Ferdinand to music. A version in French, released on Analekta (AN2 8741-2), is Solo by Angèle Dubeau
, narrated by Pierre Lebeau
.
In 1998, the Minnesota Orchestra commissioned Alice Gomez to write two works based on The Story of Ferdinand. Composed in a Spanish style, El Piquete de Abeja (the Bee Sting) and Habanera de Ferdinand make up the Ferdinand-inspired suite. These works were recorded in 2008 by the Michigan Philharmonic
and are available on their CD Magical Tunes & Marvelous Tales.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of children's literature
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
who wrote and illustrated nearly 40 books during his 40-year career. He is best known for The Story of Ferdinand
The Story of Ferdinand
The Story of Ferdinand is the best known work written by American author Munro Leaf and illustrated by Robert Lawson. The children's book tells the story of a bull who would rather smell flowers than fight in bullfights...
(1936), a children's classic which he wrote on a yellow legal-length pad in less than an hour. Labeled as subversive, it stirred an international controversy.
Born in Hamilton, Maryland
Hamilton, Maryland
Hamilton is a mixed density urban neighborhood located in northeastern Baltimore City, Maryland.- History :The neighborhood was originally farmland along the Harford Road corridor, which at the time was a major arterial route out of Baltimore City into the much more rural Harford County...
, Leaf graduated from the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
in 1927 and from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
with a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
in 1931. He taught secondary school and then worked as an editor with the publisher Frederick A. Stokes
Frederick A. Stokes
Frederick A. Stokes was an eponymous American publishing company. Stokes was a graduate of Yale Law School. He had previously worked for Dodd, Mead and Company and then briefly had partnerships with others before founding his company in 1890....
Company. Leaf once commented, "Early on in my writing career I realized that if one found some truths worth telling they should be told to the young in terms that were understandable to them."
He wrote The Story of Ferdinand
The Story of Ferdinand
The Story of Ferdinand is the best known work written by American author Munro Leaf and illustrated by Robert Lawson. The children's book tells the story of a bull who would rather smell flowers than fight in bullfights...
for his friend, illustrator Robert Lawson
Robert Lawson (author)
Robert Lawson was an American author and illustrator of children's books. During World War I, he also served as a camouflage artist.-Background:Born in New York City, Lawson spent his early life in Montclair, New Jersey...
. The story, which follows a gentle bull
Bull
Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
in rural Spain who prefers smelling flowers to bullfighting
Bullfighting
Bullfighting is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, southern France and some Latin American countries , in which one or more bulls are baited in a bullring for sport and entertainment...
, sparked considerable controversy because Ferdinand was regarded by some as a pacifist symbol. Banned in Spain and burned as propaganda in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, the book had over 60 foreign translations and has never gone out of print. The story was adapted into a Walt Disney film which won a 1938 Academy Award.
Leaf and Lawson's second collaboration, Wee Gillis, about a boy living in Scotland halfway between his father's family in the Highlands and his mother's in the Lowlands, was cited as a 1939 Caldecott Honor Book.
Watchbirds
Leaf's other notable creation was the Watchbirds cartoon series, a cartoon commentary on human behavior. It ran as regular feature in the Ladies' Home JournalLadies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal is an American magazine which first appeared on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States...
and was later collected into several books.
During the Second World War, Leaf and Ted Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
) created the pamphlet, This Is Ann, about a mosquito spreading malaria to men who failed to take precautions.
On April 22, 1995, Leaf was inducted into the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
Alumni Hall of Fame. Some of his books have been brought back into print in recent years.
Music
The English composer Alan RidoutAlan Ridout
-Life:Born at West Wickham, Greater London, England, Alan Ridout studied briefly at the Guildhall School of Music before commencing four years of study at the Royal College of Music, London with Herbert Howells and Gordon Jacob...
set The Story of Ferdinand to music. A version in French, released on Analekta (AN2 8741-2), is Solo by Angèle Dubeau
Angèle Dubeau
Angèle Dubeau, CM, CQ is a Québécoise violinist.Dubeau is a graduate and First Prize winner of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal. She studied at the Juilliard School of Music with Dorothy DeLay and later went to Romania to work with Ştefan Gheorghiu...
, narrated by Pierre Lebeau
Pierre Lebeau
Pierre Lebeau is a Quebec actor. He is best known for major roles in Quebec big-box movies such as Séraphin: un homme et son péché and the four-part Les Boys series.-Acting background:...
.
In 1998, the Minnesota Orchestra commissioned Alice Gomez to write two works based on The Story of Ferdinand. Composed in a Spanish style, El Piquete de Abeja (the Bee Sting) and Habanera de Ferdinand make up the Ferdinand-inspired suite. These works were recorded in 2008 by the Michigan Philharmonic
Michigan Philharmonic
The Michigan Philharmonic, formerly the Plymouth Symphony Orchestra, is currently in its 66th season, Music in HD. Under the direction of Nan Washburn, the symphony is based in Plymouth, Michigan and reaches out to audiences all over southeast Michigan. The symphony started out in a local home when...
and are available on their CD Magical Tunes & Marvelous Tales.