Madeline's Rescue

Everyone's favorite is Madeline, we grew up with her, & the kids love her too.

By this third book in the series, readers know that Madeline is the smallest one of the twelve little girls in two straight lines who live in an old house in Paris that was covered with vines. They know that she is not afraid of mice and that "nobody knew so well, How to frighten Miss Clavel." In fact, Ludwig Bemelmans accompanies those familiar words with a simplified version of the same scene accompanying the same words from the original story of "Madeline." That is because things happen differently this time, as Madeline slips and falls into the river. "Poor Madeline would now be dead, But for a god, That kept its head." "Madeline's Rescue" is actually more about Madeline's rescuer, the aforementioned dog that "dragged her safe from a watery grave." Miss Clavel and the other girls take Madeline and the dog home, and when she turns out the light for the night, there is a fight among the girls as to where the dog should sleep. The dog proves to be clever and helpful and is named Genevieve (rhymes with "beef"). Things are happy for six months and then comes the day of the annual inspection by the trustees, and these wretched people declare that "DOGS AREN'T ALLOWED IN SCHOOL" and order Miss Clavel to get rid of "it." They are also bigots (Genevieve is "of uncertain race") and they send Genevieve out into the world. This is where we learn that we were wrong about the title, because it is not about the rescue OF Madeline but the rescue BY Madeline, Miss Clavel, and the other girls. For it is Madeline who jumps on a chair and declares: "Miss Genevieve, noblest dog in France, You shall have your VEN-GE-ANCE!" This is the best part of the book, because this is where Bemelmans shows his characters searching high and low for their beloved dog in some of the landmark sites in Paris (including Le Pere Lachaise, the celebrated cemetery, where Bemelmans has worked in the final resting places of Oscar Wilde, Rossini, Bizet, Chopin, Sarah Bernardt, Honore Balzac, Hugo, Moliere, Heloise et Abelard, and many more). But we also love the way Bemelmans plays with his familiar storyline, because in the middle of the night when Miss Clavel turns on her light and says, "Something is not right," she does it not once and not twice but three times this time around. So there is a happy ending and a happier ending. Actually a perfect ending given all of the fighting and the cutest drawing of the twelve little girls in two straight lines. As always, Bemelmans' childlike illustrations are captivating (and I see a touch of Thurber in his drawings of Genevieve). Any kid can draw a face with dot eyes and U-shaped mouths, and they have to appreciate that Bemelmans does not always color within the lines. But for me it is the full color illustrations of the sights of Paris that I like to look at and catch all of the details. I would love to have a pitcher book that just collects Bemelmans' Paris scenes, even without the rhyming text that is another part of

My sisters and I loved this book when we were small and I'm having fun reading this book to my little one. Poor Madeline, always ornery, never learning, falls into a river and a dog rescues her. It's very sweet to see how the girls fight over the dog but, when she gets out one night and returns, there was enough "hound to go around," as the book says when dear Genevieve has a litter of puppies, one for each girl. This is a darling classic and quite worthy of the Caldecott Award it received.

If you were to walk up to the first person you met on the street and asked, "Are you familiar with the works of Mr. Ludwig Bemelmans?", you would probably get a funny stare. If, however, you were to walk up to another person on the street and said, "In an old house that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines", you might still get a funny stare but at least they might be familiar with darling "Madeline". Though its author hasn't received much interest over the years, the Madeline books have garnered a great deal of love from many members of the literary world. And of these, the only Caldecott winner was "Madeline's Rescue".Just as they do every day, the little girls attending a French boarding school (run by the pleasant nun Miss Clavel) take a walk across the Seine. On one day in particular, however, the feisty Madeline (who beyond her near drowning gets short shift in this book) falls into the river and nearly drowns. Thanks to a plucky mongrel nearby, Madeline lives and the dog is adopted by the school. To the dismay of the students, however, several trustees coming for an annual inspection are chagrined that such a dog (a mixed-breed undoubtedly) would be allowed to live in one of their schools. Genevieve (for such is the dog's name) is cruelly turned out into the streets and it's up to the girls to rescue their faithful pup.The book is ostensibly for children, but I suspect it is far more loved by Paris-adoring adults. As the little girls search for their doggy they walk about a variety of well known Parisien sights. Here they search amongst the patrons of the trendy Deux Magots. Yonder you can see them in a breathtaking search across Le Pere-Lachaise. I ask you, in what other picture book are you likely to see a full quote on Oscar Wilde's tomb (not to mention nods to Chopin, Moliere, Balzac, and more)? Bemelmans has a lovely lilting ear for his own prose as well. Just consider the line... "Miss Genevieve, noblest dog in France, You shall have your VEN-GE-ANCE!"You just can't beat it. On top of that are some wonderful illustrations. Though most of the book is black on white with yellow, there is always the occasional full page spread that is deftly colored in deep greens and dark blues. On the whole, there is much to love in this book. Beloved for more than fifty years now, it shall continue to be just as loved for centuries to come.

Madeline's poetic style story continues the life of the charges of Miss Clavel, and especially Madeline, in the old house with vines in Paris. Miss Clavel, who is always so self-possessed has her one moment of total loss and confusion when Madeline falls into the river Seine. While Madeline struggles, a brave, homeless dog boldly rescues her. What follows are the "true to life" jealousies of the other little girls when Madeline adopts the dog and names her Genevive. The girls experiences with Genevive are always a hit with children and the adult who is a child at heart. This beautiful book is a past Caldecott winner!

This is probably my favorite of the "Madeline" series for kids. Artistically it is beautiful, mixing expressive and energetic line drawings with the occasional full-color painting quite effectively. The story mixes very comic elements (like the girls all fighting over who will have the dog sleep on their bed, while their harried nurse keeps getting up in the night as always) and elements of true poignancy, like when the dog is lost. We see Madeline in her window looking at the empty streets, sighing "Oh Genevieve, where can you be? Genevieve, please come back to me." The direct, sad, but unsentimental tone of this moment is really moving. Overall, a most satisfying tale indeed, both in story and in art, with a happy ending that is sure to please.