Madeline Loves Animals

This charming, rhyming board book is just right for Madeline’s youngest fans. Each spread features Madeline with a different animal friend: brushing her teeth with an adorable mouse (with whom she shares her house), scattering breadcrumbs everywhere for the birds in the square, stopping to greet the cats on the street, and more. John Bemelmans Marciano, grandson of Madeline’s creator, Ludwig Bemelmans, shares his grandfather’s flair for lively verse and vivid artwork.

This charming, rhyming board book is just right for Madeline's youngest fans. Each spread features Madeline with a different animal friend: brushing her teeth with an adorable mouse (with whom she shares her house), scattering breadcrumbs everywhere for the birds in the square, stopping to greet the cats on the street, and more. John Bemelmans Marciano, grandson of Madeline's creator, Ludwig Bemelmans, shares his grandfather's flair for lively verse and vivid artwork.

Children's Literature

As Madeline fans know, "To the tiger in the zoo Madeline just said, 'Pooh-pooh.'" And that just might have been the inspiration for this board book. On each of the seven double-page spreads, we see Madeline interacting with a different critter: a butterfly, some birds, cats both wild and domestic, an elephant, a mouse, and a dog. Miss Clavel and the other girls occasionally appear in the background. The author's drawing style is a bit looser than the original Madeline but fans will not mind. This is a large book with quite thick pages and is heavier than the standard board book. Four- and five-year-olds who are already fans of this favorite book character might enjoy adding the last rhyming word of these couplets. Simple and straightforward, this does not have the charm of the original stories and seems to be a stretch even for Madeline devotees.

John Bemelmans Marciano