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Madeline's Christmas

(1939, Fiction - Holiday, Written by Ludwig Bemelmans, Illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 0, age appropriate for kids over 4; suggested age 4.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Madeline is her spunky self in Christmas tale.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 4 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Not an issue.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence & scariness:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Madeline's Christmas

Parents need to know that the fact that the girls go home to their parents -- where the girls are showered with gifts -- may confuse young readers who thought Miss Clavel is the girls' mother. And it raises questions for grown-ups too, who wonder why the children weren't already scheduled to go home for the holidays without the help of a magician.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about kindness. How does Madeline help her classmates and Miss Clavel? How does she help the carpet merchant the first time he appears, and the second time? How does the merchant repay her kindness?
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Adult Reviewer
    Daddy-o
    I rate this title off for age 2 and give it 0.0

    The Sell-out Sequel

    Madeline's Christmas appears to have been a quick and desperate attempt by Bemelmans to cash in on the Madeline franchise. The rhymes are tired, the illustrations are poor and often hard to decipher, and the story line is bizarre. It concludes with Miss Clavel breaking the "spell" that allowed the children a chance to see their parents on Christmas Eve. This book is a big disappointment with a cruel twist, making it one of the worst children's "sell-out sequels" I've ever read.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  2. Adult Reviewer
    Anonymous
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 4.0

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