Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

With its childlike simplicity and exaggerated lines, Bemelmans creates a mood for his little book that has become such a childhood staple. He creates a story of a strong little heroin, a rarity in stories from that time period, and at the same time introduces young readers to Paris. Today, publishers must take into consideration the use of rhyme, as it is hard to market a rhyming picture book to a foreign market, but Madeline is a different animal altogether. Beemelmans’ bouncing rhymes are done with hardly an effort and he isn’t afraid to even use words that aren’t even words.
“To the tiger in the zoo
Madeline just said, “Pooh, Pooh.”