Madeline (book) facts for kids
The cover to the original 1939 Madeline children's book
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| Author | Ludwig Bemelmans |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Published | 1939 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) Audiobook |
Madeline is a 1939 book written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans, the first in the book series of eleven books, which inspired the Madeline media franchise. It is considered one of the major classics of children's literature through the age range of 3 to 8 years old.
Madeline was named a Caldecott Honor Book for 1940 and a subsequent book in the Madeline series, Madeline's Rescue, earned a Caldecott Medal in 1954. This book was also a New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year and an ALA Notable Children's Book.
Plot
The story is set in a boarding school in Paris, France. The opening rhyming sentences were repeated at the start of the subsequent books in the series:
In an old house in Paris
That was covered in vines
Lived twelve little girls
In two straight lines.
Madeline is the smallest of the girls. She is seven years old, and the only redhead. She is the bravest and most daring of the girls, flaunting at "the tiger in the zoo" and giving Miss Clavel a headache as she goes around the city doing all sorts of antics.
One night, Miss Clavel wakes up, sensing something wrong. She rushes to the girls' bedroom and sees Madeline crying. Doctor Cohn is called and takes Madeline to the hospital because she has a ruptured appendix. Hours later, Madeline finds herself recuperating. She is greeted by her classmates and Miss Clavel, who gives her flowers and a doll house from her Papa. In return, Madeline shows them her scar. Madeline's classmates and Miss Clavel go home, but Miss Clavel wakes up again to find the other little girls wailing, demanding to "have their appendix out too". Miss Clavel assures them that they're all well and calls on them to go to sleep.
Film
In 1952, this story was adapted into a 6-minute animation by United Productions of America. The film was nominated for the 1952 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. In 2013, it became available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.
