Outside Reading: Madeline

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans is by far one of my favorite works of children's literature. The story is told in rhyme and the illustrations enhanced my interest in the book. Madeline is a young girl who attends a boarding school in Paris with eleven other girls. I love Madeline's courageous, curious, and adventureous character. The routine of the girls in the story would seem to make the story boring, but Madeline brings in the spontaneous personality and energy to the story. The plot turns when Miss Clevel feels that "something is just not right" and Madeline has a stomach ache and must be rushed to the hospital to have her appendix taken out. Madeline can be seen as mischievious, but i think she is a positive influence for young girls because she is the smallest girl, but she has a big heart and a brave soul. The other girls are jealous of Madeline, because she gets all the attention being in the hospital. This is why the book ends with the girls crying "boohoo we want our appendix out too." The book was also made into a movie and a television series. The movie goes into more of a story that the first original book of Madeline, but both were great.