[4] He took his inspiration from the war and began drawing cartoons of people around his hotel business, which marked the beginning of his interest in illustrating children's books.

[5] The women in Bemelmans' life, including his wife Madeleine and daughter Barbara, inspired the creation of the book's main character Madeline.

The opening rhyming sentences were repeated at the start of the subsequent books in the series:[7] In an old house in Paris That was covered in vines Lived twelve little girls In two straight lines.

The group's troublemaker, she is the bravest and most daring of the girls, flaunting at "the tiger in the zoo" and giving Miss Clavel a headache as she goes around the city engaging in all sorts of antics.

[3] The illustrations also balance symmetry and asymmetry between the framing and images which tie into the plot, for example the recurring symbol of the girls walking in two straight lines.

[11] Setting the book in Paris specifically appealed to Americans, especially during World War II, as the city was a symbol of Western civilization.

[11] Paris' foreign beauty shown within the book's portrayal of the city's order and perfection built a sense of American longing to visit and protect such an iconically chic place.

[9] Bemelmans continued to set his books in an idealistic version of Paris, despite their creation during the chaos of war, maintaining the city's pristine reputation.

[9][11] Along with the book promoting a positive representation for Paris, Bemelmans’ expressionistic style of art also directly contributed to the popularity of Madeline.