Madeline

a classic that holds up to this day

Love the Madeline series. would buy again.

Horrible scan. 4 pages on one page. Absolutely unreadable!

Will read this book with my niece at Christmas.

Love Madeline!!!

no complaints,

Great book! More adventures with Madeline!

Exactly what I paid for. The original Madeline book.

My little girls love this book, and are constantly quoting it. Plus it is a board book, so it will last through the littles stages.

In an old house in Paris, that was covered with vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines. Each of the several Madeline books starts with this simple and charming little rhyme. The first book, the one being reviewed here, was written in 1939 and was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1940, and so it should have been! I note in reading some of the fine reviews here that folks have been wondering how this book, which its obvious setting in Paris, would sound in French. Well, we may never know due to the fact that Ludwig Bemeimans wrote this in the United States in English. This, at first glance, appears to be an odd little book; both textually and artistic. Let me tell you though, as you read this work, over and over and over again to your kids, you will find that it has an almost hypnotic charm about it. And make no mistake, whether they want to admit to it or not, little boys like this tale just as much as little girls. I think all kids can relate to the bravery, spunk, and feistiness of Madeline; the littlest girl in her class who is not afraid of ANYTING, including mice, tigers and hospital stays! The entire text is in verse - delightful verse I might add. I noted that some have pointed out that some of the rhymes do not rhyme. This is not so. When the reader is reading this thing, certain words must be spoken with a slight French accent. When you do that, then all the words rhyme. Anyway, for me the art work in this book is as exciting as the text. There is something tremendously appealing about it is a sort of off-beat manner. Bemeimans was an excellent illustrator whose work appeared in and on several old copies of the New Yorker and other leading magazines of his day. Even though some of the illustrations in this book may appear simple, they are actually quite complex - Bemjeimans knew what he was doing and all was calculated. His limited pallette only adds to the charm of the pictures. This one was, is and I suspect always well be a childrens classic. Thank goodness it and the other Madeline books are still in print and available. NOTE: Reviewing the Madeline books on Amazon is like reviewing the Beatrix Potter books - difficult. Amazon has seen fit to mix editions and mix the reviews of different editions to the point that it is difficult to tell just what you are trying to review. If you will note the product description on this particular item reads as if it is selling Madeline Dolls...go figure. I tell you this simply to warn readers and possible buyers to read carefully and be sure you order the book you think you are ordering. Don Blankenship The Ozarks