Madeline’s Rescue

Bemelmans, Ludwig. Madeline’s Rescue. New York: Viking Press, 1953.

An Analysis by Gurtaj in Grade 6

Reliability: I believe this book is reliable, because it was awarded “The Caldecott Medal”, which means it was the best picture book published in the U.S.A. in 1953. It was also published by Viking Press, which has a good reputation. In addition, I believe this book is good because it is written by Ludwig Bemelmans, who has other incredible books like: Sunshine, Madeline in London, Madeline and the Bad Hat. That is why I think this book is reliable.

Annotation: When a girl named Madeline slips into a river, her school teacher tries to get a hold of her before she falls; but Madeline is a bit out of reach. Everyone who has seen her fall in, tries to help but no one is successful. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a dog barges into the lake and reunites the girl with her teacher. The dog is taken back to where Madeline lives, where the two new friends live happily together.

Point of View: 3rd Person

“…she slipped and fell”.

“After she left there was a fight”.

“She was petted, she was fed”.

Tense: Past

“…they named it…”

“But no one answered…”

“…they had started…”

Literary Techniques: Assonance…

“That kept its head”

“And every place a dog might go”

“They came back home broken-hearted”

Connection: Text to Self

My connection with the book Madeline’s Rescue by the writer Ludwig Bemelmans relates to what happened to my dad. His friend fell off a bridge into a river. The two men were walking in an okay crowded area, but they wanted more space, so they started to walk over to a park. It was fine until they got to a bridge. The bridge didn’t have a railing. They walked carefully at first, but my dad’s friend decided to run. He tripped! My dad tried to get a hold of him, but it was too late. Everyone tried to help, but it didn’t matter. He had already fallen. Suddenly, everyone saw a stray dog run in and retrieve him. My dad’s friend was safe, after all.

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You can learn a lot about life from books. I learned some interesting information from Mapping Antarctica by Greg Roza (Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2014). Long ago, Antarctica was a much warmer place. The landmass drifted to its current location over millions of years. It is now one of the windiest places on Earth. Antarctica was first explored nearly 200 years ago but has no official borders or capitals. Most importantly, I learned that Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom all have research labs in Antarctica. Books are a great way to expand your general knowledge, to help you carry along facts that can help you in life. And this book is a great one to read if you want to learn more about the coldest continent on earth. – Raninder in grade 6

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Johnson, Jen Cullerton. Seeds Of Change. New York: Lee And Low Books, 2010.
There was only one woman. There was only one seed. One ray of hope for the future. Wangari grew up in the Shadow of Mount Kenya, hearing stories about the people and land that surrounded her. Despite the fact that the trees towered over her, she had adored them for as long as she could remember. The trees made her smile because they were so strong and beautiful. Wangari refilled her spirit by planting trees, one by one. She found the trees very strong! Wow! This adventurous book makes the appearance of trees different to me!
 
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The Cats in Krasinski Square

Hesse, Karen. The Cats in Krasinski Square. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2004. 
Inside the Wall of the Ghetto, and inside the cracks, dark corners, and openings in the rubble, are cats who’ve lost their owners. It is dangerous here. You cannot act Jewish. A girl and her sister, Mira, have almost no food. So one day, they decide to get their friends – who live beyond The Wall – to help them secretly smuggle bags of food into the Ghetto. But on the day the train is to come, they get news that the Gestapo knows of the train and the food! They are bringing their dogs. The girl has a slightly dangerous plan. She scurries over to the rubble and collects the cats in baskets. Then they all hurry over to the train station. The train comes, and the dogs are let loose. But what else is let loose? The cats! The dogs immediately lose interest in the train and begin chasing the poor cats! What chaos! A few minutes later, the girl and sister happily walk home in the night with bags of food. – Eishmeet in grade 6   

Listen to the story on Youtube 

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