Madeline's Christmas

This book came completely trashed this should have never been in the system

My granddaughter Madeline loved this book. It's great to see your name on a book!

Our granddaughter was in "Madeline's Christmas" play in December. Both sets of grandparents, parents and her sister signed a copy of this book with a personal message. We gave it to her after her participation in the play. Our hope is that she will be able to share this great story with her own children and possibly grandchildren some day.

Im not exactly sure what people are looking for with this book. It was written quite some time ago,and times have changed. So this book wont have santa in it. Not so bad. It doesnt really carry a religious theme, but I guess that could make it more "readable" for children of every faith? I grew up reading Madeline. My 4 yr old daughter loves every Madeline story, and not because they are simply Madeline stories, but because they have a unique, vintage read to them. This story, I did not purchase due to the previous reviews so I checked it out at the Library, but will be purchasing it after reading it with my daughter. The illustrations are typical Bemelmans, so I am not sure what that former reviewer was referring to. These are the older versions, the original versions and perhaps some people that are "newcomers" to the Madeline scene are use to the newer look of Madeline? The verse of the story did not seem "forced" to me or odd at all. It does not read like a Dr.Seuss, and does not flow perfectly all the time; but neither do any of the other Madeline stories. As for the storyline itself, I found it a subtle Christmas story; not drenched in Christmas, but rather in fancy and imagination. I am a Christian, but I personally see nothing wrong with a story at Christmas time that teaches giving, makebelieve, and kindness even if it leaves out the religious aspects. Madeline is shown taking care of everyone, even a stranger who comes to her door, and returns again to her door when he finds himself in a bad way. My daughter, upon having this read to her responded that she liked it because it showed how nice Madeline was to everyone, and how the Carpet Merchant repaid kindness with giving something fun and special to the children (the magic carpet ride home to see their parents) for Christmas. That was good enough reason for me to say it was a good book. The great thing about reviews is that anyone can leave one, and everyone has different opinions about books because we are all individuals, so it is probably best to read all the reviews and then if you are still unsure, check it out at the library first.

Very funny book (as all the others of L. Bemelmans), and a very good Christmas gift for children of all ages!

It's not so much the story here as the activities! It has reuseable vinyl characters (like Colorforms) that kids can use to create their own stories--tons of games and holiday worksheets. I must disclose that I own a bookstore that stocks this title, but I am VERY selective about the items I stock--especially for kids. Enjoy!