Customer Reviews

Madeleine (French Edition)

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Madeleine is a wonderful children's book to have in French! The story of course takes place in Paris, and it's a good, simple story to read to children who are learning French at school.

I am not a native speaker, but wanted to start exposing my daughter to the French language early on. This has been a great book for that! It rhymmes and has bold contrast in the pictures and is just the right length. I really enjoy it and she seems to as well.

The cover of the book is "Madeleine," but inside is a story about some fish. Not at all what I ordered...but at least it's in French.

I think I must have read these books to my daughter 1million times! She is off to college to be a French teacher now, and I am buying all her favorite books in French as little gifts for her, as she has always been a gift to me1

"To the tiger in the Zoo, Madeleine just said 'pooh pooh'".

The Madeleine stories in French or English are great for teaching almost all grade levels!

You might think that middle school boys will punch out at Madeleine, but fortunately they can relate to the son of the Spanish Ambassador, who is just wild enough to dismay the girls and interest your boy students.

You can use Madeleine as a basis for activities in Creative Writing.

Have the kids write a story about a visit by Madeleine, Miss Clavel, and the girls to their home town.

Have the kids read Eloise of the Plaza for crosscultural comparision, and write Madeleine Meets Eloise. Since Eloise is such a total American brat, and Madeleine such a self-disciplined Jehan la Pucelle of France, the potential for mutual learning is awesome.

I teach in an international school in Hong Kong and the kids are sophisticated enough to understand Madeleine at an early age; many have traveled to Paris.

But if you teach in the USA, be assured that not even the most raving right-wing teacher-hater Trogdolyte will be able to find anything objectionable in Madeleine. Elle est Catholique, mais oui, but I think Miss Clavel is a member of Opus Dei's female auxiliary.

I do think Miss Clavel, who's not a real Nun, needs a day off in Montmartre and would be delighted to arrange it.

Bemelman's politics are (French) Republican and mainstream, only somewhat anti-*ancien regime* as in the scene where Madeleine asserts the values of Madame la Republique as against racial discrimination against dogs.