This elegant volume--perhaps one of the best gift books on the planet--contains all six adventures of the irrepressible, mischievous Madeline (the smallest and spunkiest of the twelve little girls in two straight lines). Ludwig Bemelmans's Madeline was first published in 1939, and its five sequels have all become classics. In Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anna Quindlen's introduction to Mad About Madeline she writes, "Amid a childhood full of children's books, amid glorious pictures and imaginative plots, it is worth wondering why this story is among a handful of books that now-grown children invariably buy for their own more than half a century after Ludwig Bemelmans began writing it on the back of a restaurant menu." Inside this hefty, richly illustrated edition, you'll find Madeline, Madeline and the Bad Hat, Madeline's Rescue, Madeline and the Gypsies, Madeline in London, and Madeline's Christmas, in addition to Quindlen's splendidly insightful introduction, an essay by Bemelmans on how he invented Madeline, never-before-published working sketches of Madeline, and photos of the Bemelmans family. The perfect gift for anyone who has made friends with--or should be introduced to--the precocious Madeline. (The jaunty verse makes Madeline perfect for reading aloud, and readers ages 6 and older will enjoy sounding out names such as Lord Cucuface.)


Book Description
For over sixty years, Madeline's adventures have enthralled her ever-growing audience. This collection brings together all six of the Madeline books in one volume. Every well-loved word and picture is here, plus an introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anna Quindlen, an essay by Ludwig Bemelmans on how he created Madeline, and working sketches of Madeline, as well as photos of the Bemelmans family. This landmark volume will be treasured by the entire family.


About the Author
Ludwig Bemelmans (1898-1962) was the author of the beloved Madeline books, including Madeline, a Caldecott Honor Book, and Madeline's Rescue, winner of the Caldecott Medal.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Fans of the little red-headed Parisian will be pleased to have all six of her adventures bound in one volume. Included are an essay by Bemelmans on how he created Madeline sketches and photos of Bemelmans and his family, and essay by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist Anna Quindlen.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Here, collected in one volume for the first time ever, are all of the adventures of the irrepressible Madeline, a little girl full of mischief and vitality who is one of the world's most popular and cherished fictional characters. Madeline, which was published in 1939, and its five sequels have become true classics, loved by generations of readers. In each of these books, Bemelmans' humorous verse, his immortal characters--Miss Clavel, Pepito, the magician, and others--and his wonderful, whimsical drawings of Paris combine to create a joyous reading experience for people of all ages.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Susie Wilde