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Dear Book Lovers, Welcome! I am delighted that you have found The Through the Looking Glass blog. For over twenty years I reviewed children's literature titles for my online journal, which came out six times a year. Every book review written for that publication can be found on the Through the Looking Glass website (the link is below). I am now moving in a different direction, though the columns that I write are still book-centric. Instead of writing reviews, I'm offering you columns on topics that have been inspired by wonderful books that I have read. I tell you about the books in question, and describe how they have have impacted me. This may sound peculiar to some of you, but the books that I tend to choose are ones that resonate with me on some level. Therefore, when I read the last page and close the covers, I am not quite the same person that I was when first I started reading the book. The shift in my perspective might be miniscule, but it is still there. The books I am looking are both about adult and children's titles. Some of the children's titles will appeal to adults, while others will not. Some of the adult titles will appeal to younger readers, particularly those who are eager to expand their horizons.
Showing posts with label Madeline. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Madeline. Show all posts

Friday, July 9, 2010

July is Classic Books Month on TTLG - Day Four

Madeline is another one of those books from my childhood that I was later able to share with my daughter. I always greatly admired the little girl who was not afraid of the tiger in the zoo, and wished very much that I could be as brave as she was.

Madeline
Ludwig Bemelmans
Picture Book
Ages 3 to 7
Penguin, 1996, 014055761X
   Madeline lives in an "old house in Paris that was covered with vines" with eleven other little girls. Miss Clavel takes care of them, accompanying them as they go for walks through the streets of Paris, as they takes their meals, and as they get ready for bed. Now, though Madeline is the smallest of the girls, she is also the bravest, the most audacious, and the one who causes poor Miss Clavel the most headaches and worry.
One day Madeline really gives Miss Clavel an even bigger than normal fright. In the middle of the night, Madeline starts to cry and Miss Clavel quickly calls the doctor who determines that this is a very serious business indeed; Madeline is very ill and must go to the hospital at once.
   For many days the eleven remaining girls who live in the house all covered with vines must wait and wonder, until at last they are allowed to go and visit Madeline - and what a surprise they get when they walk into her hospital room.
   This classic tale has lost none of its appeal and simple charm. For little girls today, as for those who first read this book when it was published in 1939, Madeline who says "Pooh-pooh" to a tiger in the zoo and who is not afraid of mice in the kitchens, is an instant friend and playmate. Wonderful full page illustrations - which are  instantly recognized by women all over the world - are rich with color and movement, and they beautifully reflect the mood of the text.
This book was one of the 1940 Caldecott Honor winning titles.
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