Madeline's Rescue


Madeline's Rescue is a children's picture book by Ludwig Bemelmans, the second in the Madeline series. Released by Viking Press, it was the recipient of the Caldecott Medal for illustration in 1954.

Plot

Madeline falls into the Seine River one day and is saved by a stray dog. Miss Clavel and the girls cannot find the owner of the dog, so the girls decide to keep it and name it Genevieve. But problem starts to rise when other girls want to spend time with Genevieve. Big trouble arrives in front of their animal-loathing Landlord Cucuface, who takes one look at poor Genevieve and has his driver take her away, causing the girls and Miss Clavel to unsuccessfully look for Genevieve. Late that night, Miss Clavel wakes up and finds Genevieve in the light of the doorway. Everyone rejoices Genevieve's return. That night, the girls fight about Genevieve again, causing Miss Clavel to take Genevieve to her own room. Even later that night, Madeline and the girls, with Miss Clavel, find that Genevieve has given birth to eleven puppies.

Adaptations

The book was adapted to television in 1991 by DIC Productions as a half-hour animated special on the Family Channel. The special starred Marsha Morceau as Madeline and Christopher Plummer as the narrator, and premiered on June 6, 1991.