Omer 2025 Day 37

Day 36 | Day 38

Day 37: Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
Gevurah in Yesod, Bravery in Foundation

"The smallest one was Madeline. She was not afraid of mice. She loved winter, snow, and ice. To the tiger in the zoo, Madeline just said, 'pooh, pooh.'"

Madeline, Madeline's Rescue, and Madeline in London were my daughter's favorite books for a while when she was little. We read them on repeat and I can still recite the intro from memory. Unlike some of her other favorite books (cough cough Berenstain Bears cough cough), I never tried to talk her into reading something else when she pulled a Madeline book off the shelf. I was always happy to read about the old house in Paris. Why? Because Madeline is brave.

She is unafraid to take risks. She is always willing to speak her mind, even to adults, and stands up for what's right. She is fiercely loyal to her friends. She is exactly the kind of role model I wanted my daughters to have in their earliest years. Every time my older daughter climbs on top of the monkey bars, I can't help but think of Madeline balancing on the edge of the bridge, both of them frightening me and Ms. Clavel as they test the limits of their own abilities. When my younger daughter offers a hug when her friends are upset, I see echoes of Madeline rallying her classmates to support their friend Pepito after his lonely move to London. The Madeline books were more than just fun bedtime reading; they offered my daughters a blueprint for bravery in their own lives.