The children’s book Madeline has a very special place in my heart.  It is one of those classic books whose lines spring to mind unbidden—like when you have a moment of mommy intuition and think, “Something is amiss!”  It’s no wonder that the books and the characters are beloved and have been for several generations.

In fact, Madeline is 70 years old this year.  Ludwig Bemelmans, the author, didn’t start writing until he was 36 (in 1934) and penned his most famous book (Madeline) a few short years later.  It’s hard to believe, at first blush, that the original book is so old since the character of a fiesty, slightly disobedient, smart, strong girl seems like a modern creation.  Luckily, though, smart, strong women are nothing new and certainly not unpopular (as the book’s enduring success shows us).

70^th Anniversary Collectible Madeline Doll

In celebration of this milestone, a new Madeline doll has been commissioned.  The 70^th Anniversary Collectible Madeline Doll is a 13” doll dressed in a mid-calf length dress with a blue and white print of scenes from the book, blue trim, and blue shoes with white lacy socks.  A matching blue bow tops a head of red yarn hair.

The beauty of this doll, much like the beauty of the original book, is in her simplicity.  The face is plain embroidery with no buttons or other embellishments to snap off or lose. The yarn hair is quaint and endearing.  The clothing (with the exception of the shoes) is removable and has velcro enclosures.

At the same time, though, there are little touches that add to the appeal of the doll.  Her socks and dress are sweetly lined with lace.  Her cheeks have a faint tint of pink to them.  She even has a scar from when she had her appendix removed.  I also love the feel of the fabric used.  The fabric used for the body of the doll has a bit of nylon in it, which gives the doll a very soft feel and undoubtably will add to the life of the doll.

Madeline and the Cats of Rome

This new book, written by Ludwig Bemelmans’ grandson John Bemelmans Marciano, is a charming addition to the family of Madeline books.  While I do not love it as much as I do the original book (and the subsequent popular book Madeline’s Rescue), the illustrations are classic Madeline.  They are colorful and quaint with those twelve simple, smiling girls in two straight lines.

In the book, Madeline meets her match in an Italian street urchin who snatches Miss Clavel’s camera.  Fiesty and determined, Madeline retrieves the camera and in the course of her adventures saves a house full of cats.

The hardcover book makes a beautiful gift book.  It is slightly oversized (9 by 12) with a full color cover (Madeline turned out of the line and grinning in the middle of the cover picture).  From average homes to major monuments, Rome is captured in true Madeline style.  Marciano has truly been able to find his own artistic place within the style of his grandfather’s story, which makes the book lovely in its own right but also satisfying as a sequel to a beloved book.

Both the book and the doll are recommended to lovers of the book Madeline. Both of these products can be purchased from www.liveandlearn.com or www.ticastoys.com.

Enter to win

Enter to win your choice of the 70th Anniversary Madeline, Dressable Madeline, the Madeline (9″), or Genevieve (8″) beanie

This giveaway is open to the U.S.  and will end on November 23, 2009.

Enter the giveaway by making a commenting on this post about one thing you love about Madeline.

Please see our site’s Terms and Conditions for a complete list of our contest and giveaway rules.

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Here are your random numbers:

15

Timestamp: 2009-12-05 20:41:05 UTC

Congrats Sara!

Busy Christmas Giveaway Event

The Annual Busy Christmas Giveaway Event is featuring so many great products this year that we had to start it early!

Visit the Busy Christmas Giveaway Event page to see all of the giveaways and find out how you can earn extra entries into this giveaway, and every other giveaway during the Busy Christmas Giveaway Event from October 1 – December 11.