The Story of Babar The Little Elephant by Jean De Brunhoff
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I remember watching some Babar cartoons on the television when I was young but had never read the books before, so when a copy of "The Story of Babar" came into stock I was so intrigued I decided to have a quick read!
If you know the Babar books then you will appreciate the wonderful colour illustrations that are throughout each book. They may even tell the story better than the words do! Another charming touch is the text which is produced in script so the books look as though they are hand-written.
What surprised me the most about the story is that Babar's mother dies at the beginning of the book - how sad. And then, a bit further on, the King of the herd becomes ill and also dies - I honestly didn't expect this in a book written for children.
Anyway, as the full title of the book states, Babar is a little elephant and is, apparently, one of the nicest of the baby elephants in the herd. One day Babar is enjoying a lovely ride on his mother's back when a cruel hunter shoots at them. This is when Babar's mother dies. The hunter tries to catch Babar but he runs away. Poor Babar!
After some days Babar reaches a town. It is the first time Babar has seen a town and he is amazed at what he sees - beautiful avenues, motorcars and motorbuses. What interests Babar most of all however are the lovely clothes that people are wearing. Babar is very lucky and comes across a very rich old lady who understands little elephants. She loves making others happy so she gives him her purse. Without delay he trots off to the shops and buys a shirt, collar and tie, a suit of a delightful green colour, next a smart bowler hat, and finally shoes and spats. Babar makes his home in the old lady's house and she gives him everything he wants, including a nice red motorcar. In the evenings he tells the old lady's friends all about life in the Great Forest .
And yet, Babar is not altogether happy. He misses his cousins and his friends the monkeys, and of course his dear mother. Two years pass and one day, when he is out for a walk, two little elephants run up to him - it is his cousins Arthur and Celeste! The elephants in the forest are searching for Arthur and Celeste and fortunately a bird flying over the town spies them and hurries back to tell the elephants. The mothers go to the town to fetch Arthur and Celeste and Babar decides to return to the Great Forest with them. The old lady helps him to pack and Babar drives off in the motorcar with Arthur & Celeste and the mothers following behind (being careful not to breathe in the dust!).
In the meantime the King of the elephants had eaten a bad mushroom which had poisoned and killed him! After his funeral the oldest elephants meet together to choose a new king. At this moment Babar arrives in his car. Cornelius (the oldest elephant of all) suggests choosing Babar as king as he had come back from the town where he lived among men and learnt much. Babar now announces that on the journey back in the car he and Celeste got engaged to be married! Therefore, if Babar was to be king, Celeste would be queen. The elephants shout with one voice "Long Live King Babar! Long Live Queen Celeste!" So Babar becomes king. The wedding ceremony happens a week later after their fine wedding clothes arrive and a good time is had by all.
The next day king Babar and Queen Celeste set out on their honeymoon in a glorious yellow balloon to meet with new adventures - what a roller coaster of a story and there are many more that follow.
Babar was first published in France as "Histoire de Babar" in 1931 and enjoyed immediate success. The English version appeared three years later in 1934. The story is apparently based on a tale that de Brunhoff's wife invented for their children.
Babar stories by Jean de Brunhoff:
The Story of Babar, the little elephant (1934)
Babar's Travels (1935)
Babar the King (1936)
Babar's Friend Zephir (1937)
Babar at Home (1938)
Babar and Father Christmas (1940)
Following de Brunhoff's death the series was continued by his son Laurent and Babar stories are still as popular today as when they originally appeared.
View all books by Jean de Brunhoff
Contributed by Maria
(Published on 17th Dec 2014 )
