I had a different blog post prepared for this week. But the recent events in Paris made me change my mind. It seemed odd to go to business as usual even on my blog.

My friend Johanna, fellow book lover and bestie of one of my besties, posted a picture of Madeline on her Facebook profile pic.

Perfect, I thought, and copied it.

For many of us, our first and maybe only glimpse of Paris, was through a little girl who lived in house covered with vines with a nun named Miss Clavel.

Written and illustrated in 1939 by Ludwig Bemelmans, Madeline’s beloved illustrations introduce many children to The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, The Gardens at the Luxembourg,  Sacré-Couer, and the Louvre.

The rhyming and charming story came right back to me when I bought the book for my boys. We especially love reading out loud, “To the tiger in the zoo, Madeline just said, “Pooh-Pooh.”

A feisty child, Madeline is not afraid of tigers!

We’ve read all the Madeline books and some of the books written by Bemelmans’ grandson John Bemelmans Marciano. Max, Calvin, and I highly recommend them.

In the 24 plus hours since I heard of the Paris attacks, like everyone, it’s weighed heavy on my heart. My boys, at six, are too young to know of it.

What can I do? Here’s what I’ve come up with – hopefully, through reading about the world and other cultures, I’m instilling in my kids a curiosity and love of other places and cultures.

Because even if you’ve never been to Paris, you can’t help but feel for all the girls like Madeline there and all the victims of violence in the world.

How you can help the victims in Paris (Provided by International Business Times)
You can donate to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), which directly supports the French Red Cross.

You can also donate to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières, which provides worldwide assistance during emergencies and delivers medical aid to victims.  Friends of Fondation de France, Inc. is a charity that also helps during times of emergency.

Use Twitter to express support with these trending hashtags #PrayForParis, #Prayers4Paris and #PrièresPourParis. Or show your support on your profile image on Facebook.

For all things Madeline, check out the official site.