ferdinand and andy

circle time. criss-cross applesauce. one two three, eyes on me. one, two... (eyes on you) it's story time. from the columbia children's record collection it's "the story of ferdinand and andy and the lion". a new experience for young listeners, entertaining and educational. for those not familiar with the ferdinand and andy stories, they are tales of accidental heroism or being in the right place at the right time.
ferdinand is a bull who would rather smell the flowers than fight in the ring, but the sting of a bee causes him to act as a mad fighter which catches the attention of the bullfight promoters. except upon being introduced as "ferdinand the fierce" he simply retires to the field to smell the flowers in the ladies' hair. interestingly this story went on to enjoy controversy as some promoted it as a pacifist book and communists claimed it for themselves. it's always funny to me how one man's art becomes another's propaganda.
andy and the lion, based on the classic story of androcles the roman slave who gives aid to an injured lion, by which he is forever befriended. the story is often attributed to aesop, however this version is updated by james daugherty to the present day, or more accurately mid twentieth century america. in this version young andy is told great tales of hunting lions by his uncle and on his way to school he meets a lion who chases him round a tree. once andy stops he notices the lion has a thorn in its paw. but fortunately andy always carries his pliers. sounds like another tool tale for leatherman.
the thing i really enjoy about these old story records is that they were ever done at all. they always seem to start out with an introduction by the narrator who often sounds like the drunken (and possibly closeted) uncle, who then proceeds to launch into the tale interspersed with musical accompaniment which gives him time to sip his scotch. i especially like the narration on the andy and the lion story here by daniel ocko. listen as he pauses from time to time as if looking for his place on the script. beautiful.
if you'd like to sit for a story simply click the link here and enjoy. heads up, seven up!