Children’s book character Madeline stars in this year’s L.A. Times’ Festival of Books artwork. The illustration celebrates the new book, Madeline at the White House by John Bemelmans Marciano.
Marciano is the grandson of original Madeline author/illustrator, Ludwig Bemelmans. Jacket Copy reports: “He never met his grandfather, but he uses the same materials Bemelmans did, including gouache and ‘pens that you have to dip in ink.’ Ludwig Bemelmans started with a pencil sketch and then did an ink drawing over that — as does Marciano.”
In this video, the author explains that the new book was inspired by his grandfather’s friendship with former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. In total, Marciano has published five Madeline titles, continuing the six-book series created by his grandfather. Marciano has also written Bemelmans: The Life and Art of Madeline’s Creator and stand-alone titles like Harold’s Tail and There’s a Dolphin in the Grand Canal.
The Festival of Books will take place between April 30th and May 1st. Attendees will find lots of Madeline-inspired merchandise, including yellow hats, totes, pencils, and bookmarks. The festival will feature Mary Higgins Clark, Dan Savage, and Sarah Weinman.
Full Disclosure: This GalleyCat contributor has interned at Penguin Group (USA) in the past.