




Despite its French setting and French characters, Madeline was actually written by Ludwig Bemelmans, an American author of Belgian, Austrian and German origins. His first book was published in 1939 and when it became a huge success, he continued with more stories into the 1940's and 50's. The series continues to this day, written by Bemelmans' grandson John Bemelmans-Marciano. The books all start with the line "In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines ...". The story is written entirely in rhyme which makes it beautiful to read. And it all ends with Madeline saying "That's all there is; there isn't any more." Though there have been movie adaptations of Madeline, I firmly believe that the books are still the best.
That's all there is; there isn't any more.
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