Classics Corner: Madeline
In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines...
One of the things I love about this series is comparing notes to my memory of reading these books when I was a kid and reading them today, as an adult. There are times when I roll my eyes at my youthful notions and other times when I can’t help but pat myself on the back for my younger self’s perceptiveness. All in all, I’m having a wonderful time writing up this series and look forward to hearing what you think!
Today, I’ll be digging into the first book of the beloved Madeline series… Allons-y!
Madeline
Written and Illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans
Recommended Ages: 3-8 years old
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One thing that hasn’t changed: like before, my adult self and child self both initially thought Madeline was an orphan living in a Catholic orphanage and both of us had the same reaction when we flipped to the page of Madeline in the hospital receiving gifts from her parents: Ohhhh.
Madeline, with 11 little girls, lives in a boarding school in Paris with their headmistress Miss Clavel. The first few pages introduce us to what Madeline’s life looks like. The places the girls visit, their emotions, and the structure of their days. Amidst all of this, is the utterly gorgeous backdrop of Paris in all her glory. We see the girls casually ice skating in front of the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur or, as on the cover, walking the gardens around the Eiffel Tower.
Madeline is the smallest of her friends and seemingly the bravest. As our heroine, we learn how different Madeline is from the rest based on her physical appearance (the smallest of them all) and her spunkiness (while the others fear the tiger at the zoo, Madeline nonchalantly says “pooh-pooh”). I can’t imagine how taxing it must be for Miss Clavel to run such a tight ship with twelve girls and not fall into a heap of exhaustion every night. One night, just as she’s gotten into bed, Miss Clavel senses the girls’ distress.
Sweeping into the girls’ room, Madeline is found crying. A quick visit from the doctor confirms Madeline has appendicitis. After a 2-hour appendectomy (which is quite impressive considering it’s the 1930s), Madeline has a 10-day stay (more believable) at the hospital which includes a visit from her friends. Soon after their visit, Miss Clavel’s spidey senses start tingling again and she heads to the girls’ bedroom where she finds 11 girls despondently crying that they too are not laid up in the hospital like Madeline. 🫠
A (Brief) Walk Down History Lane
Having read Madeline decades ago, my interest was piqued by the very German-sounding name of the author and the fact that it was first published in 1939. Now if you remember your world history, you’ll recall that 1939 was a big year: It was when World War II broke out when Germany invaded Poland.
I did some digging and Ludwig Bemelmans, the author of the series, has a fascinating story of his own. He was born in Austria and at an early age, his father abandoned his family and his mother was the sole parent. She would tell him stories about growing up in a Bavarian convent school which would become the foundation for the series. Bemelmans was working in hotels as a teen and after a dangerous encounter (he shot an employer who threatened to beat him), leaving Austria and made his way to the United States. World War I began in the summer of 1914; in December 1914, Bemelmans landed in Ellis Island, New York City.
In 1917, Bemelmans enlisted in the U.S. Army but was never sent to Europe because of his Austro-Hungarian background. Then in 1938, he visited France with his wife and daughter, and the idea of Madeline was born. Madeline is rooted in his mother’s schooling, her name is the name of Bemelman’s wife, and the character’s personality and scrapes are infused with his own childhood anecdotes. Like Madeline, Bemelman was not cowed by much.
The history of this is important because we know Madeline was born during a period between two major world wars and we can see some of that grimness in the illustrations. It’s a subtle nod and not apparent on a first read but if you look for it, you’ll find it. In the first book, the girls are sad when they see a wounded soldier in front of the Hôtel des Invalides.
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What I Loved
Without a doubt, I love Bemelmans’ stunning sketch work and bold, vivid scenes that bring Paris’ “je ne sais quoi” -ness to life. The book is almost 80% illustration and 20% text. It’s evident that while this is the story of a spunky, charming girl it’s also the story of an artist writing a love letter to Paris and his art.
I would argue that Bemelmans is more of an artist than a writer. The text doesn’t always rhyme in exactly the right way but that’s precisely what makes it all the more charming and fun to read. He spent quite a bit of time figuring out a phone number that would rhyme with the appendix. The result of his efforts are words that don’t perfectly rhyme but the oddity of it is what makes it so appealing.
Real Talk
I wasn’t expecting much racial—or any—diversity so I wasn’t too disappointed. In that sense, this book is certainly a product of its time. There were many Black people in Paris and not one appears in the book. The little diversity we see is a character in a fez that appears randomly throughout the book. If I were reading this book to my kids today—and I would want to read this book—I’d also follow it up with other titles that have diverse main characters.
The next few things are small gripes: While we get an introduction to Madeline as a character, we don’t see her agency. This first book lays out the life Madeline leads and not too much more. Madeline’s spunkiness is (literally) illustrated for us but we don’t see it come to life within the plot itself. We see more of that in the subsequent books so I would recommend starting with this first book but introducing the rest of the series in quick succession.
Another piece that didn’t sit well with me is that there’s a mention of good vs bad with examples that I don’t think fit appropriately. When the girls observe the bad, they see a thief who has run off with someone’s purse. Agreed. Stealing is bad. My issue is with the “good.” For an example of the good, we see what appears to be a rich lady petting her horse. I think there are better demonstrations of what is good. Given that Madeline is in a boarding school and, with our modern lens, we know that is something often reserved for the well-off, to see a wealthy lady as a symbol of good, rubbed me the wrong way. This is a minor detail; one that I don’t think would have jumped out at me if I wasn’t reading this with such a critical eye. But still, it’s worth calling out because these microscopic subliminal messages accumulate and embed into our psyche.
(Separately, I could do a whole other post on Madeline and the Gypsies* and how poorly it would hold up today.)
Talking points
Why do you think Madeline lives in a boarding school? Do you think it would be fun to live in a boarding school? Why or why not?
What do you think about Paris, the city where Madeline lives? Is it a place you would want to visit?
What’s an example of something good you observed? What’s an example of something bad?
Why do you think her friends were crying at the end of the book?
Fun facts
Many don’t know that Ludwig Bemelmans also wrote autobiographical books for adults as well, like Hotel Splendide* and To The One I Love Best*, which feature his signature sketches
Will Hillenbrand wrote a sweet children’s book, Louie!*, on the life of Ludwig Bemelmans
The original series is continued by Bemelman’s grandson, John Bemelmans Marciano, who has continued Madeline’s adventures in Rome and Washington, D.C.
Bemelman produced truly exquisite drawings and illustrations for the Pocket Guide to France which was printed in 1944 by the U.S. government for military personnel
Let’s Talk…
Have you read Madeline? What did you think about the book?
Which of the Madeline series is your favorite?
If you’ve read Madeline to your kids, how did they like it?
*Thank you for using (at no additional cost to you) the affiliate links in this post! :-)
Madeline was such a key part of my childhood and a book my children have also loved…but I’m not sure I’ve ever read the rest of the series!
I always assumed the rhyming was a little off because the book was translated from French! 🤣
For one of my birthdays, I got a giant Madeleine dollhouse…I still think about it!
But it absolutely instilled a fear of appendicitis!!