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Babar #2
The Travels of Babar
In the second Babar story, Babar and Celeste set off in a balloon, beginning an exciting series of adventures. Escaping from savage cannibals, only to be trapped by a circus owner, Babar knows nothing of his home country’s escalating war against the rhinos. But with some help from the Old Lady, Babar returns in time to save the day.
This is vintage de Brunhoff--a must for Babar fans and a story sure to charm and engage young readers.
This is vintage de Brunhoff--a must for Babar fans and a story sure to charm and engage young readers.
56 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1932
28 people are currently reading
564 people want to read
About the author
Jean de Brunhoff
282 books83 followersJean de Brunhoff was a French writer and illustrator known for co-creating Babar, which first appeared in 1931. The stories were originally told to their second son, Mathieu, when he was sick, by his wife Cecile de Brunhoff. After its first appearance, six more titles followed. He was the fourth and last child of Maurice de Brunhoff, a successful publisher, and his wife Marguerite. He attended Protestant schools, including the prestigious L'Ecole Alsacienne. Brunhoff joined the army and reached the front lines when World War I was almost over. Afterwards, he decided to be a professional artist and studied painting at Academie de la Grand Chamiere. He married Ceccile Sabourand, a talented pianist from a Catholic family, in 1924.
Brunhoff died of tuberculosis at the age of 37. After his death, Hachette bought the printing and publishing rights to the Babar series, and ten years later Jean's eldst son, Laurent, took on his late father's role of writing and illustrating the series. The first seven Babar albums were reprinted and millions of copies were sold all around the world, but they were all abridged; they had 30 pages instead of the original 48. The Babar books are thought to be a way for Brunhoff to share himself with his family. Many people did not notice the 10 year gap, as Laurent also showed exceptional talent in drawing elephants. De Brunhoff and his wife are buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris.
Brunhoff died of tuberculosis at the age of 37. After his death, Hachette bought the printing and publishing rights to the Babar series, and ten years later Jean's eldst son, Laurent, took on his late father's role of writing and illustrating the series. The first seven Babar albums were reprinted and millions of copies were sold all around the world, but they were all abridged; they had 30 pages instead of the original 48. The Babar books are thought to be a way for Brunhoff to share himself with his family. Many people did not notice the 10 year gap, as Laurent also showed exceptional talent in drawing elephants. De Brunhoff and his wife are buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
September 1, 2015
A tale of a benign elephant family wise to the point of sadness, reconciled to the humiliations of long life but gifted with a naive delight in travel--in the pranks, say, of their foreign host and friend, a monkey. The infinite sadness of the elephants in their railway coach! They're arrayed in old-fashioned clothes and waiting with dignity at the end of the book for the beginning of yet another holiday. They have assumed an expression of mild curiosity for want of any more avid hankering after adventure. Thoroughly enlightened, detached yet compassionate, the elephants are impersonating an ordinary family, though for the them steamer trunks, the wicker hampers, the matching valises, the plush seats steeped in coal smoke, the net hammock bulging with still other impediments--all these barricades against the flames and rapids beyond have paled into mere pencil sketches on transparent rice paper through which the elephants gaze unblinkingly, gay and courageous, at the devouring fire and water of transience.
--Edmund White, Nocturnes for the King of Naples (59)
[White here is describing a memory of childhood books; he does not state the titles. I read Babar too long ago to know if this is the particular book he's talking about. If anyone thinks it was a different book, let me know.]
November 21, 2018
Royal pachyderm newlyweds Babar and Celeste set out on their honeymoon voyage in this sequel to Jean de Brunhoff's
The Story of Babar
, finding that their balloon ride ends in disaster when a storm sends them crash-landing on an island inhabited by "fierce and savage cannibals." Escaping with the help of an obliging whale, the couple endure many more hardships, from being stranded together on a reef to being forced to perform in a circus, before being reunited with the Old Lady who aided Babar in his first adventure, and being returned to their own land. Here, however, they discover that their travails are far from over, as a war with the rhinoceros nation has developed in their absence...
As mentioned in my review of the first volume, the Babar books have garnered quite a bit of critical attention over the last few decades, with accusations of colonialist apologia/celebration coming from some (see the collection of essays, Should We Burn Babar?: Essays on Children's Literature and the Power of Stories ), and counter-claims of self-conscious colonialist parody coming from others (see the essay, Freeing the Elephants: What Babar Brought, published in The New Yorker magazine). It wasn't clear to me, reading The Story of Babar , which interpretation was the correct one, and I'm afraid it still isn't. Unfortunately, even without the issue of the colonialist narrative (whatever one makes of it), I found The Travels of Babar painfully offensive. The overtly racist visual depiction of the "savage cannibals" that Babar and Celeste encounter on the tropical island where they land - black skin, exaggerated red lips - was painful to see, and while I accept that it was a product of its time, I cannot see it as anything but a relic of a very ugly past. I think that it cannot be an accident that Gopnick, who penned the defense above, chose to base his argument primarily on the first and third Babar titles ( The Story of Babar and Babar the King ), and neglected to mention this one. It certainly does not lend itself to the notion that there is no harm in de Brunhoff's work...
As mentioned in my review of the first volume, the Babar books have garnered quite a bit of critical attention over the last few decades, with accusations of colonialist apologia/celebration coming from some (see the collection of essays, Should We Burn Babar?: Essays on Children's Literature and the Power of Stories ), and counter-claims of self-conscious colonialist parody coming from others (see the essay, Freeing the Elephants: What Babar Brought, published in The New Yorker magazine). It wasn't clear to me, reading The Story of Babar , which interpretation was the correct one, and I'm afraid it still isn't. Unfortunately, even without the issue of the colonialist narrative (whatever one makes of it), I found The Travels of Babar painfully offensive. The overtly racist visual depiction of the "savage cannibals" that Babar and Celeste encounter on the tropical island where they land - black skin, exaggerated red lips - was painful to see, and while I accept that it was a product of its time, I cannot see it as anything but a relic of a very ugly past. I think that it cannot be an accident that Gopnick, who penned the defense above, chose to base his argument primarily on the first and third Babar titles ( The Story of Babar and Babar the King ), and neglected to mention this one. It certainly does not lend itself to the notion that there is no harm in de Brunhoff's work...
December 13, 2016
Boy, think there's some cognitive dissonance reading these Babar books now vs when I read them as a youngun. I just remember picking these books up at book fairs and just devouring them without any explanation from adults.
I'm reading them now to a four-year old and I find myself breaking away to try and explain certain things to him. Some of these things are problematic and has my little tyke asking questions: killing of Babars' mom in the first book; subsequent capture; the black cannibal savages and so on and so on. But, this series is so entertaining and it's bringing back so many wonderful images, memories from childhood that I'm left with a strange feeling about it all.
The illustrations, dialogue and scenes are so sophisticated and beautiful that I'll continue to enjoy these with the little one. But, I'll be there to answer any questions he will undoubtably have.
5 stars (with reservations)
I'm reading them now to a four-year old and I find myself breaking away to try and explain certain things to him. Some of these things are problematic and has my little tyke asking questions: killing of Babars' mom in the first book; subsequent capture; the black cannibal savages and so on and so on. But, this series is so entertaining and it's bringing back so many wonderful images, memories from childhood that I'm left with a strange feeling about it all.
The illustrations, dialogue and scenes are so sophisticated and beautiful that I'll continue to enjoy these with the little one. But, I'll be there to answer any questions he will undoubtably have.
5 stars (with reservations)
March 19, 2022
Recuerdo a Babar con mucho cariño, un pobre que tiene la suerte de encontrar a una benefactora en la ciudad. Hay lecturas más críticas que la mía, y no seré yo el que las discuta. Pero como el mismo autor del artículo refleja, los niños no leen el subtexto de Babar. La historia me pareció edificante en su día, cuando yo era el público objetivo del libro.
July 16, 2025
I remember reading the Babar the Elephant books (in English) when I was a child, so reading one of them in the original French was a treat. Written for 6-8 year olds, the language isn’t that complex nor is the vocabulary especially difficult. So this was a very very fast read. I especially loved the beautiful illustrations. That said, the painfully racist portrayal of the black African cannibals early on in the story was awful and really tarnished much of the experience for me. (It reminded me of how appalled I was with the portrayal of black people and casual acceptance of colonialism in Tintin au Congo, which was published around the same time.)
October 8, 2017
This time I'm reading the French, which is of course the original language of these charming children's books. What catches my eye this time is the abundance of detail in the drawings. Here are Babar and Celeste taking their vacation in a hot air balloon, floating above a beachfront town which has a marina and cabanas and in the foreground even a bit of farmland out beyond the suburbs where a girl is leading some geese. We get the sense of stories within stories. Plenty to pique the imagination of your sleepyhead four-year-old as you meander through the adventures of the King and Queen of the Elephants.
March 30, 2019
Una historia entretenía y bonita para los niños aunque con algunas incoherencias en la historia que pueden confundirlos.
January 29, 2012
It is a strange thing to revisit the books that so captivated my childhood imagination as a grown woman presenting them to my own children. The delight I once felt in the characters and situations comes to me now in echoes, memories of the ways the stories used to affect me, tempered now by an adult faculty for critical thought. As I reread Babar's first story to my (nearly) two year olds, I was surprised to find a capitalist imperialist message lurking in the "civilization" of Babar the elephant by the kindly old woman who adopts and reeducates him when he arrives in the anonymous metropolis (having been driven there from the jungle by the loss of his mother to a white trophy hunter in a pith helmet). This colonial subtext, I thought as I read, doesn't interfere with my children's enjoyment of the animals' colorful portraits or in their joyful propensities to trumpet like elephants, tweet like exotic birds or chatter like monkeys. It is also true that I do not want to shield my children from difficult topics because I want them to develop critical responses from an early age. So, I thought, we will enjoy the fantasy of Babar for now and discuss the troubling aspects of the narrative at a later age, when they are able to understand.
During our most recent trip to our public library I crouched among the shelves selecting books while my twins played with puzzles and shyly encountered other library-going youngsters. When I came to de Brunhoff I did not hesitate to select the next book in the Babar saga. I did not expect my earlier decision to overlook the colonialist perspective on behalf of innocence to be so powerfully challenged, but I should have; it is inevitable that an ideology based on assertions of racial inferiority should produce the brutally racist imagery so colorfully illustrated in The Travels of Babar. In the story, Babar and his new bride Celeste set off on their honeymoon in a hot air balloon. When a storm maroons them on an island they assemble a make-shift camp and reconcile themselves to their surroundings. When Babar leaves to explore their new environment, Celeste is attacked by a group of black natives portrayed in stereotypically racist "black Sambo" style (large red lips, rolling eyes, simian physiognomies, etc). Stunned, I quietly closed the book as my son and daughter drifted unconcernedly away, their attention already lighting elsewhere. I sat on the floor overwhelmed by the depth and complexity of the grief I felt.
Later, while they slept, I reopened and finished the book. As I revisited the white imperialist representations of blackness I was struck by the dimension of the degradation and devaluation enacted by these images. As characters they are at once threatening and ridiculous, dangerous and ineffectual, and as caricatures they are undifferentiated and subhuman. These are cruel images, and cruelty is their intention. Just because they appear in the context of children's books to which I might have formed emotional attachments prior to my explicit awareness of such intentions does not excuse my continuing tolerance of them. Critical theorist bell hooks speaks of the ways that these kinds of representations not only serve the interests of white supremacist domination but also inflict painful psychological damage difficult to overcome and to resist. In solidarity with the struggle against the perpetuation of such representations I will remain committed to my endeavors to equip my children with critical consciousnesses, and I will not entertain them with images that promote structures of domination.
During our most recent trip to our public library I crouched among the shelves selecting books while my twins played with puzzles and shyly encountered other library-going youngsters. When I came to de Brunhoff I did not hesitate to select the next book in the Babar saga. I did not expect my earlier decision to overlook the colonialist perspective on behalf of innocence to be so powerfully challenged, but I should have; it is inevitable that an ideology based on assertions of racial inferiority should produce the brutally racist imagery so colorfully illustrated in The Travels of Babar. In the story, Babar and his new bride Celeste set off on their honeymoon in a hot air balloon. When a storm maroons them on an island they assemble a make-shift camp and reconcile themselves to their surroundings. When Babar leaves to explore their new environment, Celeste is attacked by a group of black natives portrayed in stereotypically racist "black Sambo" style (large red lips, rolling eyes, simian physiognomies, etc). Stunned, I quietly closed the book as my son and daughter drifted unconcernedly away, their attention already lighting elsewhere. I sat on the floor overwhelmed by the depth and complexity of the grief I felt.
Later, while they slept, I reopened and finished the book. As I revisited the white imperialist representations of blackness I was struck by the dimension of the degradation and devaluation enacted by these images. As characters they are at once threatening and ridiculous, dangerous and ineffectual, and as caricatures they are undifferentiated and subhuman. These are cruel images, and cruelty is their intention. Just because they appear in the context of children's books to which I might have formed emotional attachments prior to my explicit awareness of such intentions does not excuse my continuing tolerance of them. Critical theorist bell hooks speaks of the ways that these kinds of representations not only serve the interests of white supremacist domination but also inflict painful psychological damage difficult to overcome and to resist. In solidarity with the struggle against the perpetuation of such representations I will remain committed to my endeavors to equip my children with critical consciousnesses, and I will not entertain them with images that promote structures of domination.
October 31, 2010
Babar has just returned to his jungle village and marries Celeste. They are made King and Queen of the elephants. For their honeymoon, they travel by balloon to seek a romantic adventure. They are swept to sea in a heavy wind storm and their balloon crashes on a deserted island. They make the best of things, until a tribe of cannibals attack. After escaping the cannibals, they are rescued by a whale who swims them his back. When the whales stops to feed on a school of fish, he leaves them on a sand barge in the middle of the ocean. Once again they are stranded until an ocean cruiser picks them up and brings them ashore. They are then forced to entertain in a circus, until they run away and visit the old woman in the city (Babar's friend). She travels with them by plane back to their jungle home and there they find that the rhinoceroses and elephants have gone to war. Babar gathers the elephants to devise a plan for scaring the rhinoceroses away and the old lady stays with the elephants. They build homes, a school, and a department of industry. Life is good for the elephants as the tale comes to happy ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2016
“A Wild, Wacky Honeymoon Trip”
When the young elephant king, Babar, takes off in a hot-air balloon with his sweet bride, Celeste, he has no idea that they have been launched on a series of mishaps and dangers—more than enough to make an unforgettable honeymoon (for man or elephant!) Since this is not the debut Babar story, it helps to understand that he was originally befriended among Human society by a kindly and sympathetic Old Lady, who reappears here. Babar must face: hostile natives (since they are cannibals does that mean that they eat elephants too, or only their own kind?), a self-seeking circus manager, as well as a dolphin, a whale and rhinos on the warpath. Meanwhile back home in Elephant Land Babar’s rascal cousin, Arthur, is up to his mischievous tricks, which arouses the enmity of hot-tempered Rataxis. How will the Old Lady help the honeymooners return home in time to prevent war? Babar does it again, of course, with charming illustrations and curious but legible cursive script. Long live cooperation between species!
June 25, 2016
When the young elephant king, Babar, takes off in a hot-air balloon with his sweet bride, Celeste, he has no idea that they have been launched on a series of mishaps and dangers—more than enough to make an unforgettable honeymoon (for man or elephant!) Since this is not the debut Babar story, it helps to understand that he was originally befriended among Human society by a kindly and sympathetic Old Lady, who reappears here. Babar must face: hostile natives (since they are cannibals does that mean that they eat elephants too, or only their own kind?), a self-seeking circus manager, as well as a dolphin, a whale and rhinos on the warpath. Meanwhile back home in Elephant Land Babar’s rascal cousin, Arthur, is up to his mischievous tricks, which arouses the enmity of hot-tempered Rataxis. How will the Old Lady help the honeymooners return home in time to prevent war? Babar does it again, of course, with charming illustrations and curious but legible cursive script. Long live cooperation between species!
June 25, 2016
May 31, 2019
Les traigo un libro que seguramente les arrancará un suspiro de melacolía, si como yo, crecieron viendo los dibujos animados de Babar, que también ya tenían rato en el aire. Recientemente me enteré que también Discovery Kids ya había hecho una adaptación de este libro de cuentos que inicialmente fue publicado en los años 30.
Estas historias fueron basadas en aquellas que la esposa del autor le solía contar a sus pequeños antes de dormir. Eventualmente, Jean de Brunhoff realizó un album ilustrado de las historias de Babar que poco después publicaría.
Este cuento clásico es una verdadera joya, un ejemplar que debemos tener en la estantería de nuestros pequeños solamente por la razón de que conozcan la tierna historia de Babar. Estos cuentos inocentes que todos disfrutamos de pequeños se pueden perfectamente trasladar a las nuevas generaciones.
Lo recomiendo ampliamente para entretener a nuestros pequeños con una historia sana, que estimulará su imaginación y sentido de aventura, y por supuesto, fomentará el amor a los libros♥.
La reseña completa en www.lalectoraerratica.com
Estas historias fueron basadas en aquellas que la esposa del autor le solía contar a sus pequeños antes de dormir. Eventualmente, Jean de Brunhoff realizó un album ilustrado de las historias de Babar que poco después publicaría.
Este cuento clásico es una verdadera joya, un ejemplar que debemos tener en la estantería de nuestros pequeños solamente por la razón de que conozcan la tierna historia de Babar. Estos cuentos inocentes que todos disfrutamos de pequeños se pueden perfectamente trasladar a las nuevas generaciones.
Lo recomiendo ampliamente para entretener a nuestros pequeños con una historia sana, que estimulará su imaginación y sentido de aventura, y por supuesto, fomentará el amor a los libros♥.
La reseña completa en www.lalectoraerratica.com
October 11, 2016
I remember loving this book as a kid.
March 12, 2018
Who doesn't love a traveling elephant? I happened upon this book as a loaner from the common area at a vacation rental, and I enjoyed revisiting a childhood favorite character. Very enjoyable.
May 14, 2022
"Nous etions mieux sur l'ile aux cannibales!"
Eh bien, ce livre est bizarre.
Eh bien, ce livre est bizarre.
March 10, 2019
Picarona nos trae una reedición de las historias de Babar de Jean de Brunhoff. Los protagonistas de esta historia son, principalmente, animales, en concreto los elefantes. Babar y Celeste se han casado y deciden hacer un viaje, que resulta estar lleno de aventuras, algunas desafortunadas. También conocemos a Arturo, una cría de elefante y primo de Babar, y Cornelius, un anciano y el jefe de los elefantes en ausencia del rey. El otro grupo de animales que aparecen en la historia es el de los rinocerontes. Estos, debido a las travesuras del pequeño Arturo, entran en guerra contra los elefantes, a los cuales iban ganando a la llegada de Babar.
En esta historia también aparecen los humanos. Estos son seres violentos que quieren matar a los reyes elefantes para alimentarse de ellos (en el caso de los caníbales de la isla) o los encarcelan para ganar dinero a costa de ellos (con el del dueño del circo). No se refleja una humanidad humana y civilizada, sino la peor cara de esta. Esto es algo que no me ha entusiasmado mucho. El hombre hace cosas malas, evidente, pero también muchas cosas buenas. Una única persona buena aparece en la historia y es una ancianita que ayuda a Babar y a Celeste a volver a su país.
La edición sigue el modelo de la antigua. La impresión es muy buena, al igual que la letra, y muy colorida. El texto es apto tanto para ser leído por el propio niño como para que otra persona se lo lea. Además viene acompañado por unas actividades finales de comprensión lectora. Son una serie de preguntas de verdadero o falso, como aquellas actividades que muchos teníamos en los primeros cursos de primaria. Esto hace que el pequeño esté pendiente de la historia y de que la entienda bien, además de ejercitar su memoria.
En conclusión, este libro es la historia de las aventuras de un grupo de animales que, mediante la ayuda de otros y la inteligencia, tendrán que salir de los problemas que se les van planteando. Además de entretener también ayudará a los más peques con su comprensión lectora mediante las actividades finales. Un libro muy entretenido con unos animales muy simpáticos.
Más en mi blog La Gran Biblioteca de David (https://lagranbibliotecadedavid.blogs...)
En esta historia también aparecen los humanos. Estos son seres violentos que quieren matar a los reyes elefantes para alimentarse de ellos (en el caso de los caníbales de la isla) o los encarcelan para ganar dinero a costa de ellos (con el del dueño del circo). No se refleja una humanidad humana y civilizada, sino la peor cara de esta. Esto es algo que no me ha entusiasmado mucho. El hombre hace cosas malas, evidente, pero también muchas cosas buenas. Una única persona buena aparece en la historia y es una ancianita que ayuda a Babar y a Celeste a volver a su país.
La edición sigue el modelo de la antigua. La impresión es muy buena, al igual que la letra, y muy colorida. El texto es apto tanto para ser leído por el propio niño como para que otra persona se lo lea. Además viene acompañado por unas actividades finales de comprensión lectora. Son una serie de preguntas de verdadero o falso, como aquellas actividades que muchos teníamos en los primeros cursos de primaria. Esto hace que el pequeño esté pendiente de la historia y de que la entienda bien, además de ejercitar su memoria.
En conclusión, este libro es la historia de las aventuras de un grupo de animales que, mediante la ayuda de otros y la inteligencia, tendrán que salir de los problemas que se les van planteando. Además de entretener también ayudará a los más peques con su comprensión lectora mediante las actividades finales. Un libro muy entretenido con unos animales muy simpáticos.
Más en mi blog La Gran Biblioteca de David (https://lagranbibliotecadedavid.blogs...)
January 25, 2024
The second Babar book is light on plot and heavy on whimsy. It also has elements that I can't believe have not led to it being pulled from circulation as some Dr Seuss books have been. When I got to pages 9 and 10, I thought, "Whoa, this has to have ben cancelled by now," but apparently not. Babar and Celeste encounter cannibal "savages," depicted pretty much exactly as you would imagine. Presumably they eat elephants only when they can't get humans, since humans eating elephants hardly constitutes cannibalism, though the line between human and elephant is admittedly fluid here. On the one hand, when noone will believe Babar and Celeste aren't just ordinary elephants, they get put in the circus. The fact that they wear clothes and can talk carries no weight, apparently. On the other hand, the text refers to their "arms," and at one point, they go on a skiing trip. The picture of elephants on skis is for me the highlight of the book. The plot, such as it is, is episodic, with Celeste and Babar getting into various scrapes on their travels (because they took off in a hot air balloon without, apparently, knowing the first thing about how to operate it), while back home an elephant-rhinoceros war gets going because of a prank involving fireworks tied to a rhino's tail. When Babar comes back, his ploy for fooling the rhinos into running away is amusing and beautifully depicted in the art. If you can ignore the casual racism sequence (and you may not be able to), this is a delight.
November 18, 2024
Found a copy of this book at my parents’ house with an inscription that it had been given to my father as a child in the 1940s when he was in the hospital to have his tonsils out, I think by his grandmother. There are some lovely illustrations that fill two pages, and the story is relatively adventurous without being too intense. I vaguely remember one illustration—I think my Dad read this to me when I was very little.
There is one part with some racist depictions that date the book making it likely inappropriate for reading to young children today. There’s also an interesting forward by A.A. Milne. At the climax of the story, there’s a battle between the elephants and the rhinoceroses and I wonder if they’re meant to represent the French and the Germans in the Great War (World War I)—this was published a few years before World War II.
There is one part with some racist depictions that date the book making it likely inappropriate for reading to young children today. There’s also an interesting forward by A.A. Milne. At the climax of the story, there’s a battle between the elephants and the rhinoceroses and I wonder if they’re meant to represent the French and the Germans in the Great War (World War I)—this was published a few years before World War II.
December 28, 2022
Wonderful illustrations throughout the travels of the king & queen as they have an adventurous & exciting honeymoon starting in a hot air balloon crash and being saved but then stranded by a whale……. My fave is hard to pick so many good scenes but I adore the harbor pages & it reminds me of Richard scary with all the many peoples & their jobs and how they transport ….etc.finally, getting back home to his kingdom and gifted to The Old Lady, for saving Babar twice now, “ eleven singing canaries and a cunning monkey.” She is invited to stay in the kingdom and help Babar & Celeste make their subjects happy
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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August 18, 2017My child picked this from the library. We got about five pages in, and OH HEY, SUPER RACIST CARICATURES OF AFRICAN PEOPLE hoooooooooly shit. No one thought to, you know, DROP THE RACISM in the reprints? Christ. Although reading the description of the book, I note that OF COURSE the black people are cannibals. OF COURSE. JESUS FUCKING CHRIST THIS IS RACIST.
No, we did not continue reading. Instead we had a toddler-level discussion about racism and why it's wrong. I'm also going to have a word with the children's librarians when we return to the library.
No, we did not continue reading. Instead we had a toddler-level discussion about racism and why it's wrong. I'm also going to have a word with the children's librarians when we return to the library.
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July 25, 2022Well written story with (mostly) delightful illustrations. Unfortunately, there are racist depictions of "savages" that are unsettling. I read this book to my son and we had an age appropriate discussion about race and stereotypes. He loves the other Babar books so I didn't want to leave this one out, but it wouldn't be right to not address the obvious racism and, well, he's going to see it sooner than later anyway. After all, people still have mammy depictions in their yard statues in the year of our Lord 2022 for Pete's sake.
July 24, 2023
The illustrations are beautiful, but these animals are rather 'civilized' and as such, don't have the sense of wonder and/or innocence that someone like movie Paddington* has. This is not so much a fault as a personal preference: apparently I prefer my childhood fictional animals to be cute bébés.
*because I have not yet read the book
Also I didn't love:
1 - , and
2 - .
*because I have not yet read the book
Also I didn't love:
1 - , and
2 - .
August 27, 2024
I've been excited to revisit series from my childhood with my own daughter, but some of them are best left as vague memories. This book in particular had not aged well. I have positive memories of reading this series with my Dad at bedtime, but my view of it as an adult is different. The cannibals on the island where Babar crash lands are depicted in a racist and offensive manner. Maybe the others in the series have aged better, but skip this one.
September 10, 2018
Ages: 5 - 9
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**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!
Visit my website!
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September 18, 2019I really enjoy the Babar stories—so lovely and French with beautiful illustrations and a cute, proper narrative voice. But oh no! No no. We will not be reading this one again. Such terribly offensive depictions of “cannibals.” I was shocked when I turned the page to see the illustrations and was glad C is only 4 months old.
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July 26, 2020An example of colonial, racist, demeaning stereotypes in children's literature. The contrast between the indigenous 'savage cannibals' and the cultured elite white in both visual image and written text, makes this book an ideal artefact for Reconceptualising Early Childhood students. A truly horrible book.
March 26, 2020
So maybe ignore my advice to not worry about the order you read these books after “The Story of Babar”. Maybe you should read the sequel to Babar’s story in book #2.
In “The Travels of Babar” King Babar and Queen Celeste set off on their honeymoon trip. And quite an adventure ensues!
In “The Travels of Babar” King Babar and Queen Celeste set off on their honeymoon trip. And quite an adventure ensues!
June 22, 2020
Unfortunately this book is grossly offensive and outdated. I would not recommend reading this to children. It's a wonderful reminder of how far we've come and how much further there is to go in representation.
August 11, 2023
I read this as a young girl and never forgot it, so thought I should finally read the rest of the series. Love it.
King Babar and Queen Celeste leave on their honeymoon in an air balloon. But they get caught in a storm and crash on a cannibal island.
King Babar and Queen Celeste leave on their honeymoon in an air balloon. But they get caught in a storm and crash on a cannibal island.
November 1, 2023
Of course, some parts of this aren't completely PC, but considering it was first published in 1931 (and this edition shortly after that), I'm willing to overlook that.
Interesting penwork, entertaining little story.
Interesting penwork, entertaining little story.
May 28, 2024
Great illustrations with some dated depictions. Babar and Celeste go ballooning and end up in different locations after mishaps. Arnold gets up to mischief with the Rhinos and a firecracker. This leads to war amongst the species.
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