Madeline - Special Boxed Edition of Children"s Classic plus 3D Panorama
The Origin of Madeline
While during his lifetime, Ludwig Bemelmans was known for his novels, nonfiction books, magazine covers and articles, as well as his murals, today, he is remembered for his children's picture books about a little girl named Madeline who lives in Paris, France.
According to Ludwig Bemelmans, he got the idea for Madeline one summer while staying on an island off the west coast of France.
An encounter with a car while he was riding a bicycle resulted in a stay in the local hospital where a little girl who had just had her appendix removed was staying in the room next to his. Bemelmans wrote, "I saw the nun bringing soup to the litle girl. I remembered the stories my mother told me of life in the convent school at Altottling, and the little girl, the hospital, the room, the crank on the bed, the nurse, the old doctor, who looked like Leon Blum, all fell into place.
"I thought about where Madeline and her friends should live and decided on Paris. I made the first sketches on a sidewalk table outside the Restaurant Voltaire on the quai of the same name." (Mad About Madeline, page 316)
Overview of the Classic Book
The whimsical illustrations, the clever rhyming text, the repetition, the setting and the feisty nature of the title character all contrive to create a children's picture book that children find irresistible. All of Bemelmans' books about Madeline begin the same way:
"In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines."
The focus of the book is on Madeline, "the smallest one," whose independent spirit keeps things hopping. None of the 11 other girls are even named. The story belongs to Madeline. Much of her interaction is with the school's leader, Miss Clavel, and Madeline tries her patience on a regular basis. The children lead pretty structured lives at the boarding school, which Madeline often disrupts.
Bemelmans creates a strong sense of place with his illustrations of such well-known Paris attractions as the Eiffel Tower. The story centers on Madeline's appendicitis, the emergency trip to the hospital, her surgery, the attention, gifts and flowers that follow and the subsequent desire of all of the other children to have appendicitis also.
Don't be surprised if your child puts his or her own spin on the story. When my mother read Madeline to me, I had never heard of a boarding school. Besides, none of the illustrations looked like a schoolroom. I decided that Madeline was an orphan, and the old house was an orphanage.
When Papa sent Madeline gifts after surgery, I thought Papa must be the priest who helped run the orphanage. Why a priest? Since the illustrations showed Miss Clavel dressed like a nun, I figured it must be a Catholic orphanage, and I thought it would be run by a priest.
What will the story mean to your children? Share the book with them and, then, get them to tell you all about it to see how they interpret the story. However they interpret it, I think they will enjoy Madeline and want to hear more about the spunky little girl.
The Illustrations
The illustrations are both simple and sophisticated, with a limited number of double page spreads featuring colorful painted illustrations. The bulk of the illustrations are done in yellow, white, gray and black. It is amazing how much humor, emotion and activity Bemelmans can infuse in a simple illustration.
One of the most popular aspects of Ludwig Bemelmans' artwork for Madeline is the inclusion of well-known Paris scenes in a number of the illustrations. In Madeline, scenes include: the Eiffel Tower, the Opera, the Place Vendome, the Hotel des Invalides, Notre Dame, The Garden at the Luxembourg, the Church of the SacreCoeur and the Tuileries Garden facing the Louvre.
All of Ludwig Bemelmans' Madeline Books
Ludwig Bemelman wrote and illustrated a total of six Madeline picture books:
The 75th Anniversary Edition
The 75th Anniversary Edition of Ludwig Bemelmans' first book about Madeline, which was originally published in 1939, is in a sturdy cardboard box featuring the book's cover art on the front with a yellow banner across the top on which are the words "75th Anniversary Edition." Inside, along with the hardbound book, is a yellow folder, which unfolds into a 3D panoramic scene of Paris (pictured above), which is 12" X 17 ½," with a 3D image of the Eiffel Tower that is a foot tall.
My Recommendation
The humor and whimsy in the story and illustrations make this book, in fact, all of Bemelmans' Madeline books, a favorite with adults as well as children. That's important because the books are ones children want to hear again and again.
This special edition of Madeline would make a wonderful gift for anyone, of any age, who loves the Madeline books by Ludwig Bemelmans. With its panoramic scene, the 75th Anniversary Edition of Madeline would also provide a very special introduction to this classic children's book for children 4 to 8 years old. In addition, because it features eight illustrations of well-known Paris scenes, the book would make a nice memento of a family's trip to Paris. Note: To see cover art and publication information, click on the arrow below.
Title: Madeline (75th Anniversary Edition)
Author and Illustrator: Ludwig Bemelmans
Format: Boxed picture bookwith 3D panoramic Paris scene showing the Eiffel Tower, Miss Clavel, Madeline and her schoolmates
Recommended for: Ages 4 to 8
Publisher: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication Date: The book was originally published in 1939. This special edition was published in 2014 in honor of the 75th anniversary of its publication date.
ISBN: 9780670785407
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
While during his lifetime, Ludwig Bemelmans was known for his novels, nonfiction books, magazine covers and articles, as well as his murals, today, he is remembered for his children's picture books about a little girl named Madeline who lives in Paris, France.
According to Ludwig Bemelmans, he got the idea for Madeline one summer while staying on an island off the west coast of France.
An encounter with a car while he was riding a bicycle resulted in a stay in the local hospital where a little girl who had just had her appendix removed was staying in the room next to his. Bemelmans wrote, "I saw the nun bringing soup to the litle girl. I remembered the stories my mother told me of life in the convent school at Altottling, and the little girl, the hospital, the room, the crank on the bed, the nurse, the old doctor, who looked like Leon Blum, all fell into place.
"I thought about where Madeline and her friends should live and decided on Paris. I made the first sketches on a sidewalk table outside the Restaurant Voltaire on the quai of the same name." (Mad About Madeline, page 316)
Overview of the Classic Book
The whimsical illustrations, the clever rhyming text, the repetition, the setting and the feisty nature of the title character all contrive to create a children's picture book that children find irresistible. All of Bemelmans' books about Madeline begin the same way:
"In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines."
The focus of the book is on Madeline, "the smallest one," whose independent spirit keeps things hopping. None of the 11 other girls are even named. The story belongs to Madeline. Much of her interaction is with the school's leader, Miss Clavel, and Madeline tries her patience on a regular basis. The children lead pretty structured lives at the boarding school, which Madeline often disrupts.
Bemelmans creates a strong sense of place with his illustrations of such well-known Paris attractions as the Eiffel Tower. The story centers on Madeline's appendicitis, the emergency trip to the hospital, her surgery, the attention, gifts and flowers that follow and the subsequent desire of all of the other children to have appendicitis also.
Don't be surprised if your child puts his or her own spin on the story. When my mother read Madeline to me, I had never heard of a boarding school. Besides, none of the illustrations looked like a schoolroom. I decided that Madeline was an orphan, and the old house was an orphanage.
When Papa sent Madeline gifts after surgery, I thought Papa must be the priest who helped run the orphanage. Why a priest? Since the illustrations showed Miss Clavel dressed like a nun, I figured it must be a Catholic orphanage, and I thought it would be run by a priest.
What will the story mean to your children? Share the book with them and, then, get them to tell you all about it to see how they interpret the story. However they interpret it, I think they will enjoy Madeline and want to hear more about the spunky little girl.
The Illustrations
The illustrations are both simple and sophisticated, with a limited number of double page spreads featuring colorful painted illustrations. The bulk of the illustrations are done in yellow, white, gray and black. It is amazing how much humor, emotion and activity Bemelmans can infuse in a simple illustration.
One of the most popular aspects of Ludwig Bemelmans' artwork for Madeline is the inclusion of well-known Paris scenes in a number of the illustrations. In Madeline, scenes include: the Eiffel Tower, the Opera, the Place Vendome, the Hotel des Invalides, Notre Dame, The Garden at the Luxembourg, the Church of the SacreCoeur and the Tuileries Garden facing the Louvre.
All of Ludwig Bemelmans' Madeline Books
Ludwig Bemelman wrote and illustrated a total of six Madeline picture books:
- Madeline
- Madeline's Rescue, for which Bemelmans received the Randolph Caldecott Medal
- Madeline and the Bad Hat
- Madeline and the Gypsies
- Madeline in London
- Madeline's Christmas
The 75th Anniversary Edition
The 75th Anniversary Edition of Ludwig Bemelmans' first book about Madeline, which was originally published in 1939, is in a sturdy cardboard box featuring the book's cover art on the front with a yellow banner across the top on which are the words "75th Anniversary Edition." Inside, along with the hardbound book, is a yellow folder, which unfolds into a 3D panoramic scene of Paris (pictured above), which is 12" X 17 ½," with a 3D image of the Eiffel Tower that is a foot tall.
My Recommendation
The humor and whimsy in the story and illustrations make this book, in fact, all of Bemelmans' Madeline books, a favorite with adults as well as children. That's important because the books are ones children want to hear again and again.
This special edition of Madeline would make a wonderful gift for anyone, of any age, who loves the Madeline books by Ludwig Bemelmans. With its panoramic scene, the 75th Anniversary Edition of Madeline would also provide a very special introduction to this classic children's book for children 4 to 8 years old. In addition, because it features eight illustrations of well-known Paris scenes, the book would make a nice memento of a family's trip to Paris. Note: To see cover art and publication information, click on the arrow below.
Publication Information
Title: Madeline (75th Anniversary Edition)
Author and Illustrator: Ludwig Bemelmans
Format: Boxed picture bookwith 3D panoramic Paris scene showing the Eiffel Tower, Miss Clavel, Madeline and her schoolmates
Recommended for: Ages 4 to 8
Publisher: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication Date: The book was originally published in 1939. This special edition was published in 2014 in honor of the 75th anniversary of its publication date.
ISBN: 9780670785407
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
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