Merci Madeline

Madeline
By Ludwig Bemelmans
Published by Puffin Books

     I believe that when a teacher loves a book, that admiration will be evident to their students, and that will in turn spark an interest (and hopefully an equally deep fondness) for the book as well.
For myself, the picture book Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelman, is one such book. This book is the cream of the crop for me, and I greatly look forward to the day that I have my own classroom and my own class to share it with.
     Caldecott honor recipient Madeline, originally published in 1939 tells the story of a self assured girl named Madeline who lives in a boarding house with her fellow students under the supervision of their teacher, Miss Clavel. The girls visit many places in Paris and do everything together from breaking their bread to brushing their teeth to going to bed. That is of course until young Madeline has to be taken to the hospital late one night to have her appendix removed. Madeline is brave throughout the entire ordeal and her classmates miss her terribly. In fact, after visiting Madeline and seeing how brave she was, and that the hospital she was in was filled with toys and candy, all of the girls want to have their appendixes removed as well so they too can be as brave and cool as Madeline.
     This picture book is just the first in a series of Madeline books, so any student that enjoys this will have a vast selection of other picture books to select from for further reading. The illustrations, story, and of course the main character, Madeline herself, have a certain appeal similar in my opinion to that of Hans Augusto’s character Curious George. People want to read about Madeline’s next adventure, in the same way that they want to read about Curious George’s. Both series began with their first stories published within two years of one another, around 1940, and have similarly colored illustration to paint a picture of their European adventures, with a lot of yellow backgrounds. The main difference between the two is that one has a young girl as its main character and the other has a monkey. Still, both series have the same tone and both have been engaging young readers (and readers that are young at heart) for decades, and I believe that to be the most important similarity between the two.
     I will be honest in telling you that I had never read Madeline as a child. I was first introduced to Madeline as an adult. Paris is my favorite city in the entire world and knowing that this story takes place there was engaging for me. I fell instantly in love with every page of this picture book the first time I read it. Between its well written story and amazing illustration I understand now why it is a classic. Plus, the illustrations include pictures of various Parisian scenes including those of the Eifel Tower, Notre Dame, Luxembourg Gardens, Sacre Coeur and the Louvre, which to me is the icing on the cake.
     Madeline is a prime example of a great picture most importantly because the illustrations match the text of the pages. Some of the vocabulary and phrasing may be slightly unfamiliar for a beginner reader and having the illustrations there to match the words is very helpful in following the story and reinforcing the ideas of the book.
     This book is written in rhyme, as if one long poem. I especially like the ending of the story when Miss Clavel is tucking the rest of Madeline’s classmates into bed and the font size gets smaller and smaller as she speaks; you, as the reader have to you use a smaller and smaller voice to read those last few lines as well, as if you are putting the story to bed.

“Good night, little girls!

Thank the Lord you are well!

And now go to sleep!”

Said Miss Clavel.

And she turned out the light-

And she closed the door-

And that’s all there is-

There isn’t any more.

The Little Caldecott Winner That Could... 1947 Caldecott Winner The Little Island

The Little Island

Written by Margaret Wise Brown

Illustrated by Leonard Weisgard

Published by Dragonfly Books

ISBN: 9780440408307

When presented with the task of selecting a Caldecott-winning book to read and share I experienced a sudden overwhelming feeling. I thought selecting one Caldecott winner would be tedious. I thought many of the books that had previously won the prestigious honor would be unfamiliar to me. I thought that finding copies the older titles would present a challenge… I thought wrong on all accounts.

Now do not get me wrong, clearly the choices were all extraordinary, or they would never have won or been honored by the ALA. I was just surprised by how many winners I was already familiar with. My first thought was to select the one book I was certain was a Caldecott winner, Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are (1964); a favorite amongst many avid readers as well those who have not read a picture book since they were children themselves. I decided to dig a little deeper and explore less common titles, ones that aren’t as frequently mentioned in individual’s social network profiles “favorite books” category, as I have found Where The Wild Things Are numerous times.

Caldecott Honor Book No David by David Shannon was the next book to catch my eye and was most certainly a departure from Sendak’s infamous adventure. No David is much simpler; there are no dreamt up forest and monsters, only a mischievous little boy, David, and the adverse responses he receives while attempting to test his boundaries. I enjoyed this story and the illustrations that went along with it and appreciated the ending a great deal. At the end of the book, the parent who all along as been responding negatively toward things David does, says to their son, “Yes David, I love you!” It is a simple phrase that reminds all of us, young and old, sons and daughters as well as mother and fathers, that despite our shortcomings and missteps, that we are still loved. Sometimes we need simple reminders of that fact, and No David is a shining example.

My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann is another Caldecott winner (2003) with a similar message. As we grow, both during childhood as well as when we are adults, at one point or another "trouble will follow" us, as it does Rabbit. It is during those times we are reminded how fortunate to have people who care about us the way Mouse cares for his friend Rabbit. This message is why I considered My Friend Rabbit as a contender to be my selection.

While all of the picture books I looked through were unique and varied, I still didn’t feel like I had found “the one”, the one that truly spoke to me in a way in which I was so excited I just had to bring it in for show and tell. So I kept flipping through and perusing various books looking for the perfect selection. Then, I saw it. A book that I hadn’t read or thought about in years. A book that I had in my own collection as a child, but did not remember as a Caldecott winner, 1947’s winner in fact. Yes, The Little Island written, by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Leonard Weisgard, was my selection, and it surprised even myself. The moment I picked up the book and flipped through the pages, it was as though 10 days had gone by since I read it last, certainly not 10 plus years. Every image and every line was familiar and had me transfixed, as if by magic. I suppose that is how some feel when they read Where The Wild Things Are, or The Polar Express or Jumanji; I suppose that is how any Caldecott winner should move a reader.

The Little Island is a story about, you guessed it, a tiny island out in the great blue sea. The book describes numerous components and inhabitants of the island including various trees, flowers and vegetation, as well as creatures such as lobsters, seagulls, seals and fireflies. You experience the transitions of seasons on the island and the occurrences that take place on the island, weathering the storms along with the island both literally and figuratively. While the description of each item and condition on The Little Island is not written with great dpeth of detail, the shear abundance of objects, plants and atmospheres described paint such a realistic and vivid picture of the story that actual illustrations are almost not necessary. The story reads like a beautiful poem that can stand on its own.

But of course the book is illustrated, and what illustrations they are; beautiful, dream-like illustrations that accompany the words of the story and bring the images from the dark depths of the readers mind into the light of day. The crisp blues and whites used to create the ocean, waves and sky paired with the bold greens, reds, yellows and even black that create the island and all the interesting and unique inhabitants that have made a home on the land create images that transfix me.  Infact on a few occasion I momentarily forget to turn the page as I get lost in the pictures. There is a tranquility about many of the images that I find comforting.

The images in The Little Island are so lovely that I almost want to frame them and hang each one. Considering I live in a small apartment with limited wall space, I may have to choose just one image. Perhaps I’ll pick the image of the kingfishers that came from the south to build their nests on The Little Island, as I have always loved the illustration of those two beautiful teal birds. Or perhaps I should select an image of the small kitten that visit’s the island, or the owl in the night image of the island, or the one of the butterflies in the wild strawberry fields, or the one… you see my dilemma in trying to choose just one favorite image? I truly love every illustration in the book!

The Little Island may not be as popular as other Caldecott winners such as Rapunzel or Little Red Riding Hood, but it is surely just as deserving of the title of “classic”. I felt extremely lucky to have been reintroduced to this story and to glad to once again have the book in my library.  I highly recommend taking the time to pick up this book and escape to The Little Island yourself.