Shadow of a Bull [Library Binding]

Maia Wojciechowska (Author), Alvin Smith (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1972

Manolo Olivar was the son of his father. Which may not seem like a necessary thing to say. But in Manolo's case it is. For his father had been Juan Olivar, the greatest bullfighter in all Spain. And Manolo was his son in two special ways: one, he looked just like his father; and two, everyone expected that he, Manolo Olivar, would repeat the success of his father, would be just what his father had been - a fighter of bulls and a killer of death.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7. Haunted by the legend of his father, a world-famous bull fighter, 11-year-old Manolo Olivar searches for the courage to pursue his own dream. The characters in Maia Wojciechowska's Newbery Medal winning story (S&S, 1964, 1972) come vividly to life through Francisco Rivela's dramatic reading. His melodic voice and authentic Spanish accent draw listeners into Manolo's emotional struggle to remain faithful to himself while retaining the honor of his family and the respect of the townspeople who are looking to him to restore the glory that his father had once brought to their small Andalusian town. Readers unfamiliar with the Spanish terms for bullfighting techniques may find some of the passages hard to follow without consulting a dictionary (the original book included a glossary of terms). Wojciechowska's coming of age story, while set in surroundings unfamiliar to most Americans, will strike a responsive chord with young listeners facing their own issues about growing up, meeting others' expectations, and discovering that there are many different kinds of courage.?Cindy Lombardo, Ashland Public Library, OH
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Review

"This book is a must....Anyone who starts Shadow of a Bull will finish it in a single sitting."

-- New York Times

"It is hard to imagine a child...who would not be enthralled by this book."

-- New Yorker

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Library Binding: 176 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (March 1, 1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689300425
• ISBN-13: 978-0689300424
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,953,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an interesting read, October 3, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Shadow Of A Bull (Paperback)

Shadow of a Bull is a Newbery winning book written by Maia Wojciechowska.

It's about a boy, Manolo Olivar, son of Juan Olivar, the best bullfighter in Spain. But, Manolo is afraid of bulls; he thinks bullfighting is cruel to bulls. Manolo has to fight his first bull at eleven. Everybody expects him to be as good a bullfighter as Juan Olivar, but Manolo's a coward, and he knows it.

This book contains many Spanish bullfighting terms. This story is well written and always fascinating and interesting. This book often makes you think what you would do if you were Manolo and in his circumstances. When it is time for Manolo to fight his first bull, it is exciting, gripping, and intense.

Overall, this is a wonderful book and I give it four-and-a-half stars.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed this book, June 11, 2002

By 

jason (new jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadow of a Bull (Library Binding)

Book Review: Shadow of a Bull

Do you think you would have enough courage to fight in a bullfight? Well, Manolo did. Manolo's father was one of the greatest bullfighters to ever walk the face of the Earth, and everyone expected Manolo to be the same. However, Manolo could not perform anywhere near his father's standards, and often wished he did not have to live up to those expectations. When he saw his first bullfight Manolo started to enjoy bullfighting more, and realized he could be as good as father. He practiced every day and got better, and better. Finally, he fought in his first bullfight. He did very well with the cape, but did not perform as well in his other competitions. Then an old man gave Manolo the choice to either become a doctor or a bullfighter. This was a very difficult choice for Manolo to make.

I guess you will have to read the book to find out what he chose.

In my opinion, Shadow of a Bull was a good book for several reasons. First of all, it was a quick easy reader. Second of all, I think that the author did a wonderful job describing the bullfight and the Spanish culture. The reader feels like he is at the bullfights cheering on Manolo. Next, I think that many people have faced intimidating challenges similar to the Manolo's. This makes it easy to sympathize with Manolo throughout the book. Finally, in addition to being a book about Spanish culture and bullfighting, Shadow of a Bull is a fable. The lesson to be learned from this book is that hard work pays off and that working hard is the only way to achieve goals. That is a very important lesson to learn in life. I would recommend this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shadow of a Bull, March 19, 2004

By 

"averabrown" (Cerritos, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadow Of A Bull (Paperback)

Shadow of a Bull is a book about a boy named Manolo Olivar who is forced by the people of Arcangel to follow his father's path as a bullfighter. Everyone in the town of Arcangel expected him to fight a bull at the age of 12, just like his father had. He believed that he couldn't overcome his fear of the fight, and that he could not find the courage and strength to fight his first bull. His friend named Juan Garcia always went to the pastures to cape wild bulls(do passes with them). Manolo asked him if he could come and watch him cape the bulls. At first, Juan was hesitant and refused to take Manolo with him, but, after convincing Juan, they decided to meet a few days later to go to the pastures. Manolo got to see how Juan put his bravery and strength to test. He felt that he might be ready to fight his first bull. Manolo wanted to show the people how good Juan was at fighting bulls so he asked the Count if he could cape some cows after Manolo was done with his bull. The Count agreed and said he could cape the cows, but that he couldn't help Manolo with his bull. During Manolo's fight with the bull he said that he did not want to be a bullfighter and said that this was Juan's bull. So Juan started fighting the pull and did some magnificent passes. The crowd shouted "Ole!" and Juan had tears in his eyes. Manolo had given up what he was destined to do and had given that opportunity to Juan who pleased the crowd much more than Manolo could have done.
I enjoyed this book because it was fun to hear about the gorings of the bull fighters. Manolo was always scared to be gored by one of those big, sharp, bull horns. "In Spain, however, people have found a way of cheating death. They summon it to appear in the afternoon in the bull ring,and they make it face a man. Death-a fighting bull with horns as weapons-is killed by a bullfighter. And the people are there watching death being cheated of its right." Manolo feared death. He was not sure if he could cheat it like others could in the ring. I also would be scared if I had to fight a half-ton bull.
I also disliked this book because it was very boring in the first half. I would suggest this book to people that enjoy having a sad, but interesting ending. It would be enjoyable to read about how the bullfighters fought if the reader likes to hear about how animals can be killed with no chance to escape. I found it upsetting to read about how animals are cruelly tortured just for the entertainment of a crowd.
My favorite part of the book was when the doctor was showing Manolo the gore wound from a bull. It was very descriptive and explained very well how the wound looked. It seemed a little bit of fairness that bullfighters had been injured by the bull because humans usually injure them.
This book is great for young readers and adolescent readers(grades 4-7) and even older. This book is one of the best I have read. I recommend it to readers who want to learn about another culture or who want to find out more about bullfighting.