Mad about Madeline: The Complete Tales

Adults and children alike will love the Madeline stories and artwork. It brought me joy to gift this to my daughter as it reminded me so much of my childhood.

Okay, so my title is cutesy, but so is this glorious book. Why it is the publishers waited through four generations of appreciative readers to give little girls (and not so little girls) all the Madeline stories in one volume is beyond me, but who's to complain now that they're finally here? I bought this on first sight. In fact my hand was reaching for it at Borders before my brain had quite coordinated with my eyes what I was seeing. These tales of the spirited little Madeline and her life at the French orphanage are full of the sort of lovely, bright illustrations children react to and remember. (I've written about it before but there's something about vivid colors in a book that stimulates a young mind as little else can, and Madeline is brimming with them.) Now that all Madeline tales can be held in two hands, the opportunity is finally there to settle into bed for the night and read through these beloved little stories until sleep carries you away. Simply grand! Apprécier!

My daughter had seen a couple of Madeline videos (including Madeline's Resuce) and really enjoyed them, so I decided to purchase this book. Well, after only having it for a week and a half, she is pulling it off her bookshelf and asking me to read it to her. The sing-song quality of the prose has her "reading" along with me as best she can already.These stories can be understood by toddlers even at this early age, although the "recommended" age for this book is older.A great book and a good deal - worth the price.

I am sitting here with a young lady four years old who is also called Madeline and a large part of her being named Madeline was that I as her father - am "Mad about Madeline" too.It is the flow and rythmn of the stories plus the beautiful water color illustrations. My four year old's favorite is "Madeline's Rescue". My favorite is "Madeline and the Gypsies" but they are all outstanding. A childhood without one of these books - buy one of the paperbacks if you you are new to Madeline and don't want to buy the complete selection yet- is incomprehensible.

Our two little girls, three and two years old, LOVE Madeline. Daddy reads them one story each night -- they always get to pick which. For Christmas they got two new books which are still almost unread, since every night they want Madeline! The stories are exciting, but gentle and sweet; they are moral but not preachy. And the poetry is wonderful! Also the stories are not too long for a tired parent's voice at bedtime. But with only two little ones of my own, I wonder how DOES Miss Clavel keep TWELVE little girls in two straight lines?