Synopses & Reviews
Celebrate 75 Years of Madeline!
Here, collected in one handsome volume, are all the adventures of Madeline, a fearless little girl full of mischief and vitality who is one of the worldand#8217;s most popular and beloved fictional characters. Madeline, which was first published in 1939, and its five sequels have charmed generations of readers, and become true classics. In each of these books, Bemelmansand#8217; humorous verse, his immortal charactersand#151;Miss Clavel, Pepito, the magician, the othersand#151;and his wonderful, whimsical drawings of Paris combine to create a memorable reading experience for people of all ages.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anna Quindlen has written an introduction to the collection, which also includes and#147;The Isle of God,and#8221; an essay by Bemelmans on how he invented Madeline, and never-before-published working sketches of Madeline, as well as photos of the Bemelmans family.
Review
Madeline’s Rescue received the Caldecott Medal;
Madeline was a Caldecott Honor Book.
Synopsis
"Even the Queen's guard is involved when Madeline and Pepito, the Bad Hat, take a wild ride around the city....Glowing pictures and a lively story." Grade Teacher
Synopsis
Madeline and her favorite companion in mischief, Pepito, embark on their wildest adventure yet. When ghostly moans lead them to the attic of the old house in Paris, they discover Felix de La Morte, who has lingered there for hundreds of years, waiting for the return of a certain comet. With the comet due to return the very next day, the poor fellows telescope has been stolen by mean Lord Cucuface, and it is up to Madeline and Pepito to get it back. A nighttime trip across Paris, a midnight apparition, and all is happily resolved in time for the three new friends to view the comet on a starry night.
About the Author
Ludwig Bemelmans was a painter, illustrator, and writer of more than three dozen books for both adults and children. Born in 1898 in a part of Tirol now known as Merano, Italy, he came to the United States in 1914 and, after spending Christmas Eve on Ellis Island, set up residence in New York City. Before finding his voice as a writer, he worked in a hotel and ran his own restaurant. Later Bemelmans became a novelist and a nonfiction writer, as well as a frequent contributor to The New Yorker (for which he drew many covers), Town and Country, Holiday, and Vogue; and he also wrote a screenplay in Hollywood. He penned the first draft of Madeline on the backs of menus in Pete's Tavern. He is best known for his Madeline books, which rank among the most honored children's books ever. Madeline was named a Caldecott Honor Book; and the first of its five sequels, Madeline's Rescue, won the Caldecott Medal and was a New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year. A world traveler, Bemelmans was renowned as a true cosmopolite, an irreverent and droll chronicler of the incongruous, an elegant man-about-town, a merry observer of the improbable and the absurd. He died in 1962 after completing the sixth story about Madeline, Madeline's Christmas.