Ludwig Bemelmans
![Madeline's Rescue Ludwig Bemelmans]( "Madeline's Rescue Ludwig Bemelmans")
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17
Average rating: 4.5 of 5
To the tiger in the zoo... 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 9 people found this review helpful.
If you were to walk up to the first person you met on the street and asked, "Are you familiar with the works of Mr. Ludwig Bemelmans?", you would probably get a funny stare. If, however, you were to walk up to another person on the street and said, "In an old house that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines", you might still get a funny stare but at least they might be familiar with darling "Madeline". Though its author hasn't received much interest over the years, the Madeline books have garnered a great deal of love from many members of the literary world. And of these, the only Caldecott winner was "Madeline's Rescue".Just as they do every day, the little girls attending a French boarding school (run by the pleasant nun Miss Clavel) take a walk across the Seine. On one day in particular, however, the feisty Madeline (who beyond her near drowning gets short shift in this book) falls into the river and nearly drowns. Thanks to a plucky mongrel nearby, Madeline lives and the dog is adopted by the school. To the dismay of the students, however, several trustees coming for an annual inspection are chagrined that such a dog (a mixed-breed undoubtedly) would be allowed to live in one of their schools. Genevieve (for such is the dog's name) is cruelly turned out into the streets and it's up to the girls to rescue their faithful pup.
The book is ostensibly for children, but I suspect it is far more loved by Paris-adoring adults. As the little girls search for their doggy they walk about a variety of well known Parisien sights. Here they search amongst the patrons of the trendy Deux Magots. Yonder you can see them in a breathtaking search across Le Pere-Lachaise. I ask you, in what other picture book are you likely to see a full quote on Oscar Wilde's tomb (not to mention nods to Chopin, Moliere, Balzac, and more)? Bemelmans has a lovely lilting ear for his own prose as well. Just consider the line...
"Miss Genevieve, noblest dog in France,
You shall have your VEN-GE-ANCE!"
You just can't beat it. On top of that are some wonderful illustrations. Though most of the book is black on white with yellow, there is always the occasional full page spread that is deftly colored in deep greens and dark blues. On the whole, there is much to love in this book. Beloved for more than fifty years now, it shall continue to be just as loved for centuries to come.
