The women in Bemelmans' life, including his wife Madeleine and daughter Barbara, inspired the creation of the book's main character Madeline. He also incorporated inspiration from his experience with schooling within the plot, such as through including some of his mother's memories from her time at boarding school. More personal information is found within the plot's portrayal of a traumatic event in Bemelmans' life when he was taken to the hospital after a bicycle accident."Bemelmans, Ludwig". Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. Edited by Bernice E. Cullinan, and Diane G. Person. Continuum, London, UK, 2005, This can be seen depicted through the main plot point of Madeline's experience with emergency appendix surgery.
