Books
The story takes place in a Catholic boarding school in Paris. Contrary to popular belief, the girls are not orphans. In the first book in the series, Madeline's "papa" sends her a dollhouse when she is ill. Also, the girls all go to visit their parents in the Christmas book.
The books all start with the line "In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines ...". The story is written entirely in rhyme, and the simple themes of daily life appeal to children.
The original series of Madeline books written by Ludwig Bemelmans has six books:
- Madeline - Madeline gets appendicitis and must go to the hospital to have her appendix removed
- Madeline's Rescue - Madeline falls off a bridge and is rescued by a stray dog who joins her school. Winner of the 1954 Caldecott Medal
- Madeline and the Bad Hat - The Spanish Ambassador moves in next door, and Madeline assumes his son Pepito is mean and spoiled
- Madeline in London - Madeline and Pepito travel around the city of London
- Madeline and the Gypsies - Madeline and Pepito run away to join a group of traveling gypsies
- Madeline's Christmas - Madeline celebrates Christmas with her friends
The new series of Madeline books are written by John Bemelmans-Marciano, they are:
- Madeline in America - Madeline travels to Texas in America
- Madeline Loves Animals - Madeline travels to the zoo and meets the animals there
- Madeline Says Merci - Madeline learns how to be polite
- Madeline and the Cats of Rome - Madeline and her class travel to Rome in Spring.
- Madeline at the White House - Madeline and her class visit the White House in Washington, DC
Read more about this topic: Madeline
Famous quotes containing the word books:
“Mr. Alcott seems to have sat down for the winter. He has got Plato and other books to read. He is as large-featured and hospitable to traveling thoughts and thinkers as ever; but with the same Connecticut philosophy as ever, mingled with what is better. If he would only stand upright and toe the line!—though he were to put off several degrees of largeness, and put on a considerable degree of littleness. After all, I think we must call him particularly your man.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“PLAYING SHOULD BE FUN! In our great eagerness to teach our children we studiously look for “educational” toys, games with built-in lessons, books with a “message.” Often these “tools” are less interesting and stimulating than the child’s natural curiosity and playfulness. Play is by its very nature educational. And it should be pleasurable. When the fun goes out of play, most often so does the learning.”
—Joanne E. Oppenheim (20th century)
“Ideas are only lethal if you suppress and don’t discuss them. Ignorance is not bliss, it’s stupid. Banning books shows you don’t trust your kids to think and you don’t trust yourself to be able to talk to them.”
—Anna Quindlen (b. 1952)