Madame Badobedah by Sophie Dahl
Illus. by Lauren O'Hara. Walker Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781406384406.
hbk.
(Ages 6-8). Recommended. Themes: Hotels, Girls, Villains,
Friendship, Trust. Madame Badobedah is a rather enchanting
story told by Mabel who lives in a bed and breakfast called "The
Mermaid Hotel". The hotel, which is managed by her parents, is next
to the beach. Mable is an only child who enjoys interacting with the
guests as they come and go. She calls herself an adventurer and
spends many hours barefoot exploring her surroundings but turns into
a spy when the newest guest arrives. The mysterious Madame Badobedah
(rhymes with oooh la la), who is very gruff and unfriendly, has a
mountain of very peculiar luggage and many pets. Mabel decides she
must be a super villain and sets about studying her subject to
uncover all her secrets. Mabel shows how observant she is as she
reports what she knows about the adults around her and everything
her new subject tells her during her visits with the Madame.
The story uncovers the facts about the Madame slowly, drawing more
and more out with each small visit Mabel makes to this strange yet
intriguing person. This makes the story enjoyable and keeps the
reader interested. A friendship develops between Mabel and the very
lonely Irena through play and pretending games and the reader is
given a lovely insight into the special relationship that can exist
between the young and the very old. Perhaps Dahl making connections
to when her grandfather used her as the inspiration for his book the
BFG.
Parents and teachers could use this story to discuss the dangers of
judging people from first impressions and the wide variety of
friendships that work between many different people. The
illustrations are quite charming and whimsical and compliment the
story very well. However, I am not sure who this book is aimed at;
it would be a great first novel for younger children but is
presented as rather a long picture book format. Read over three
sittings using the three parts as a natural break is probably the
best way to introduce this story to the younger children.
Gabrielle Anderson