What matters
Two young girls accompany their father on a trip to Bruges, Belgium, where they stay on the top floor of an old hotel called The Golden Basket. The author never lost his ability to see life through the eyes of a child, as the girls wake in a strange room, that "had been made for somebody who was too big..." The city square, the light, the statues, the old hotel, it's wandering staircases, the attic above where a little boy lives ? all are described through the eyes of an artist. The imagery, the sounds and smells of the city coming to life, the various clientele of the hotel, the owner, are all depicted in loving detail by a man who spent most of his life traveling and living in hotels and cafes. Children are given center stage and depicted as they really are: full of wonder and hope and boundless optimism. Adults will be equally charmed by the humorous antics of the children and the amazing artwork.
Bemelmans' words are as rich as his illustrations. As the author described a waiting car, in the sunlight: "Needles of sunlight sprang from every bit of brass." He had a way of simplifying difficulties, getting down to what really matters: when the car overheated, "a stop was made. 'She needs a little rest . . . It is nothing.' "
In The Golden Basket, the author reminds us of the value of living each moment, not to miss what matters. The reader will be moved at the end, saddened, but feeling satisfied, content, like after taking an exciting trip and returning to one's own doorstep, there to sit and remember it all, savoring it again. His poetic and humorous prose, the warmth of his artwork, its vivid colors and dynamic vitality, are absolutely unique to Ludwig Bemelmans. One has to feel a lasting joy after reading this story.
