It seems as if the toy world is bilingual these days. It's great that my kids know a little Spanish, but I'm a French speaker and I always feel a little jilted.That's why I love Madeline. Not only do I get to show off my accent (gotta love high school French), but while reading the books I can point to illustrations of places I visited in Paris (again...high school French!).
In an old house in Paris
That was covered in vines
Lived twelve little girls
In two straight lines.
Did you know that Madeline is celebrating her 70th anniversary? That's what, four generations of Madeline readers? Madeline is truly a girl that even grandmas can relate to with their grandchildren.
My five-year-old daughter enjoyed listening to me read her the original Madeline book by Ludwig Bemelmans. I know they say you can't judge a book by it's cover, but when she saw it she said it must be good because it has a silver medal. It's a Caldecott Honor Book.
(Though my observant child wondered why the illustrations of Madeline portray a blond girl, while the doll is a red head.)
In honor of Madeline's anniversary, Kids Preferred has a line of dolls that your children will love to cuddle as you read them the stories. The doll pictured here is the 13.5 inch dressable Madeline in her signature blue school outfit. You can even buy additional outfits for her.
Kids Preferred sent me the doll and book to share with my child. My little girl loves the details of this doll (even giggling when she saw her underpants!). She needed a little help to get her dressed again once removing her clothing (the hat nor shoes come off). And her grandma loves having another girly toy in the house.The Madeline books and dolls are timeless classics that young and old can share together.
If you would like to purchase the Madeline doll shown here, or the books, visit independent toy stores such as Live and Learn and La Petite Tica.
WIN IT!
Giveaway Title: MADELINE
Prize: Choice of the 70th Anniversary Dressable Madeline Doll, Madeline 9" Beanie, or Genevieve 8" Beanie
Number of Winners: one
Entry Question: Did you take a language in high school and if so, which one?
Enter By: November 23, 2009
Entry Form: Click here
Winners will be notified by e-mail. Please read the official rules for entering our giveaways.
This was written by Leighann who can be read at Multi-Minding Mom where she dishes about family, food, foraging, frivolity, and more! She speaks French, but her Spanish is limited to what she's learned on Dora.
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