For Madeline fans Bemelmans: The Life and Art of Madeline’s Creator depicts Ludwig Bemelmans’s life in such a way that the subtitle could easily be changed to Life Beyond Madeline. Austrian-born Bemelmans had a lovely early childhood, but it was interrupted at the age of six years, when his parents divorced. The next few years, spent primarily in Germany, were troublesome for him. Everyone wondered what kind of future awaited him. And while we think we know the rest of the story, Bemelmans gives us the scenic tour. John Bemelmans Marciano, Bemelmans’s grandson, has assembled letters, excerpts, and delightful artwork to reflect his grandfather’s lifelong love of drawing. We learn that though Bemelmans was no overnight success and experienced many dark periods throughout his life, his pens and sketchbook never left him. Now, after reading and viewing Bemelmans, do we have the full story? Well, according to Marciano, we’ll know some of it anyway.
Valiant Women is a vital and engrossing attempt to correct the record and rightfully celebrate the achievements of female veterans of World War II.
