The gypsy mother, on the other hand, being determined to keep them, decides to disguise them (together) as a lion. Every new experience palls eventually, however, and the two eventually contact Miss Clavel, who immediately sets out to collect them. As Miss Clavel agonizes about their fate, the two friends lead a carefree, adventure-filled life, one with few annoying chores or obligations - no brushing of teeth! no going to bed on time! - and plenty of fun. Fortunately, Bemelmans grandson, John Bemelmans Marciano, a talented writer and artist in his own right, is continuing his grandfather's work in new Madeline books that take the intrepid little girl to Rome and even to the White House in Washington, D.C.Madeline and Pepito find themselves left behind when Miss Clavel and her class visit the local carnival one day, and are taken in by the gypsies, who feed them strong drugs and incorporate them into their circus act. No wonder that Madeline has become a worldwide phenomenon. 'We are writing for children, but not for idiots,' he once stated.Ī dashing nonconformist with a footloose lifestyle, Bemelmans took Madeline's readers on whirlwind adventures in Paris, London, and the French countryside. That isn't to say he did not take his writing seriously, for he was careful never to insult his young audience. His work is on display in the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Museé National d'Art of Paris. At one point, he planned to collaborate on a book with then First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy.īemelmans always considered himself more an artist-illustrator than a writer, and later in life he became a serious painter. Austrian-born Bemelmans lived in New York and surrounded himself with a rich variety of people, places, and personalities. He painted murals in a bar named for him at the Carlyle Hotel and sold a screenplay to MGM.

He was a regular contributor to The New Yorker, Vogue, Holiday, and Town & Country magazines. His list of creative talents was considerable-a novelist, muralist, nonfiction writer, screenwriter, and oil painter. Like Madeline, Bemelmans was a free spirit and a man of strong opinions. Madeline inherited her spunky personality from her creator, Ludwig Bemelmans.

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans