Babar is celebrating 80 years in the UK this year! I remember enjoying Babar when I was little, but I had not yet introduced this loveable elephant to my boys so I was really happy to be sent some of the new Babar books to share with them.
Babar was originally written by Jean De Brunhoff, starting off with “The Story of Babar.” After his death, the Babar legacy was continued by his son Laurent De Brunhoff. Both styles of Babar book are still available in all good bookshops.
We were sent some books from the more modern range by Laurent De Brunhoff.
These are:
All three are lovely books and the boys have all been enjoying them, especially Babar’s counting book which I would say is their favourite as they are all interested in numbers.
Babar’s Lost and Found is a board book with a simple story all about Babar and his family on a trip to Paris, but Babar’s bag gets accidentally switched with someone else’s and he has lost his crown! The story joins them on their search until Babar is finally reunited with his crown to make sure he feels like the king of the elephants once again. It’s an ideal story for toddlers as it is easy to follow and written in simple enough language for little ones. It was ideal for Mr R age 2 years and also good for Mr T age 3 years.
Babar’s ABC is an A4 sized book with a page dedicated to each letter of the alphabet. It has lots of lovely illustrations and there are lots of details for children to pick out when looking at each page. This book does not have a story as such but on each page there are a couple of sentences including several words with the featured letter in them. This is ideal for new readers to practise, and also great for younger children who are learning their letters as they can listen out for the sounds in the sentences while an adult reads them.
Babar’s Counting Book does have a story. It is all about Babar’s children going on a walk and counting everything they see. They spot lots of things and manage to count to 10, then Babar teaches them how to count up to 20 and gives them a special certificate – there is one for the child reading the book too! This is a great format for a counting book, it is really sweet.
I would recommend all of the Babar books, they are a charming addition to any child’s bookcase!
Do you remember Babar from childhood? And have your children got to know him yet? Let me know in the comments
