Much like many of the strongest female characters in literature, from Ann Shirley in Green Gables to Jo March in Little Women, the role of gutsy girls in children's literature should never be discounted. Madeline, defines good grace and refined qualities. Although she often acts the part of a tomboy and an utter individual, Madeline's mannerism are always what we identify as gracious and polite. Of the many qualities which lure the reader into the Madeline series of tales, perhaps the most alluring factor is the books themselves. Within them lies a combination of mastery and simplicity that makes the drawings so successful.
Illustrations are in many ways quite childlike.
Drawings are shown as so simplistic, and at the same time wonderful. The most captivating quality of the Madeline books is the language of Madeline and the way Ludwig Belmelmans eloquently wrote of the Madeline stories. Madeline has become a language unto itself. Madeline's language has a way of evoking little girl feistiness and the innocence of childhood. It has been noted that perhaps the reason we are captivated by the enduring qualities of Madeline, and that children and adults return to the series one generation after the next, is because Madeline personifies a sense of what children strive for.