What do you think of when you think of the children’s book character Madeline? Is it how you had to have it read to you every night before bed, or how you grew so tired of reading it every night before bed. Does she remind you of yourself? Maybe your precocious child? Or do her books remind you of a golden age in children’s literature, the way a picture book is supposed to be?
In some way, many of us here at the book store have some memory of Madeline’s books, either from growing up hearing them or reading them to growing children. The author and illustrator of the original Madeline books was Ludwig Bemelmans. In his lifetime, he published six Madeline stories. A seventh story was found after his death and his grandson edited it for publication.
Ludwig Bemelmans died of cancer in 1962, but Madeline continued to live on in the hearts of many families, including the Bemelmans. John Bemelmans Marciano is Ludwig’s grandson and grew up hearing stories of Madeline from his grandmother, Madeleine, or Mimi, Ludwig’s wife. He has carried Madeline into a new century with his new books Madeline and the Cats of Rome and his newest book, Madeline At the White House. In one interview with The Star Ledger, Marciano says that in writing these new stories he wanted “to keep it in the spirit of the original.”
And Marciano, a self taught illustrator, has done just that. The new Madeline books are still stories of our favorite Madeline without feeling forced or commercialized. Ludwig Bemelmans himself wanted to write Madeline At the White House and corresponded with Jacqueline Kennedy about the project. Marciano’s book takes place in the spring and Miss Clavel takes all twelve children to the White House to meet the fictional first daughter Candle. They have fun touring the city and even Easter egg hunting on the White House grounds. When everyone except Madeline gets a tummy ache, Madeline spends her night whispering with Candle over candle light. This book is just as adorable as the original Madeline books and definitely worth adding to your collection.
To top it all off, John Bemelmans Marciano will be here on Friday, February 18th at 4:30 to sign his new book and his other Madeline stories. After the signing we will have a reading and have a jolly old time. Fans old and young, one and all will not want to miss this magical evening.
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