As a little girl, I loved the Madeline books. So, I was thrilled a couple years ago when Ben took interest in my copy of Mad About Madeline, a collection of six Madeline stories. At the time, the only other books Ben would read were ones about cars, trucks, or trains, so any departure from the norm was much appreciated. Well, it didn't take long to realize that he wasn't actually THAT interested in Madeline, so much as had noticed that several of the stories included illustrations of cars, trucks, and trains - and of course, as few double-decker buses in Madeline in London. But since then we have continued to come back to Madeline, slowly but surely gaining an appreciation for the sories themselves. The stories are written in fun rhyme and while some of the portrayals of children are a bit dated, the illustrations are wonderful and have served as a jumping off point for discussions about the Eiffel Tower, visiting London, the Spanish Ambassador, and what happens when you go to the hospital to get your appendix out.
The Madeline series includes the following books:
- Madeline (1939)
- Madeline's Rescuse (1953)
- Madeline and the Bad Hat (1956)
- Madeline and the Gypsies (1959)
- Madeline in London (1961)
- Madeline's Christmas (1985)
There is also a book (which we have not read) titled Madeline in America and other Holiday Tales which was published after the author's death and features a collection of Christmas stories, only one of which is about Madeline. We will definitely check it out soon!
This week, a new exhibit opens in New York titled Madeline in New York: The Art of Ludwig Bemelmans. It features original artwork, cover sketches, and paintings by the wonderful creator of Madeline. When reading about the exhibit, I also learned that there is such thing as The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts. While we won't be in New York or Massachusetts anytime soon, it's so nice to be able to visit the exhibit and this museum on line and view the beautiful artwork we've come to know and love through books.
2 comments:
Have I told you that I love your blog? Except when I read it I think, when is Anne opening up her own preschool so I can send my kids to it? Anyhow, just wanted to chime in and say that it was super helpful that we had just read about Madeline and her appendix the week before when I unexpectedly had to get my appendix out earlier this year. Also, have you checked out Frog and Toad books? I forget the author but we had a recent phase where we really enjoyed them.
Ben and I just read our first Frog and Toad book together- I loved them as kids and Ben really enjoyed one story about flying a kite - and one where one of them just wants to be left alone, but it doesn't mean he doesn't still want to be friends (very applicable to a recent pre-school friendship!). Thanks for reading...please leave more recommendations as you come across them!
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