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rjvrtiska's review against another edition
2.0
I read Babar books as a child, and checked copies out from the library more than once. I remember being excited about the simple cartoon series, even though I felt a bit too old to be watching it, whenever that was.
The stories are...nice, but I think they’ve seen their time come and go. Maybe it’s the absurdity that’s written too deadpan. Maybe it’s the elephant poaching. Maybe it’s the blatant incest. Maybe it’s the capitalism. Maybe it’s the French-speaking colonization of African cultures. Maybe it’s the white savior syndrome.
It’s a shame. Babar really knows how to strut his fine green suit and derby. Surely there are better choices and we can let this one fade into the background.
The stories are...nice, but I think they’ve seen their time come and go. Maybe it’s the absurdity that’s written too deadpan. Maybe it’s the elephant poaching. Maybe it’s the blatant incest. Maybe it’s the capitalism. Maybe it’s the French-speaking colonization of African cultures. Maybe it’s the white savior syndrome.
It’s a shame. Babar really knows how to strut his fine green suit and derby. Surely there are better choices and we can let this one fade into the background.
katiekot81's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved Babar when I was little, especially the cartoons! Great stories, great characters!
matthewb's review against another edition
4.0
I read this as part of my gentle introduction to French language literature, and I was expecting something simple and childish, like [b:Madeleine|475336|Madeleine|Ludwig Bemelmans|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347576958l/475336._SX50_.jpg|2666907]. I was totally not expecting how hilariously ridiculous the story is.
It starts off nice and peaceful with Babar the elephant in the forest, then BAM out of nowhere his mother is killed by a hunter. A bit rough for a children's book, but whatever. Babar flees to a town where the stage is set for a story about a loose elephant and the town trying to capture him or send him back to the forest while he wreaks havoc. But no, instead the villagers bizarrely seem blind to his elephant-ness, leaving him free to make friends with an old lady and then go clothes shopping (the shop just happens to sell elephant clothes) and spend the afternoon going up and down the elevator. Grief is fleeting in this surreal world.
Fast forward through Babar anthropomorphizing while living with the old lady and driving a car she bought for him. Then we get to perhaps the craziest, most action packed day in any creature's life ever. While out for a walk with the old lady his cousins Arthur and Céleste come running up to him, naked! *Clears throat*... they are elephants... Anyway Babar promptly buys them clothes and then their mother finds them and drags them back to the forest (in Babar's car) where the elephant king has died so Babar is made king and he decides to marry his cousin Céleste and they have a big coronation and wedding party and fly away in a hot air balloon. Whew! What a day! That takes compressed Shakespearean timelines to the next level.
It's hard to critique a book that is so wacky, even if all the matriarchal characters (Babar's mother, the old lady and Céleste's mother) vanish inexplicably into the background. I think it does a good job tapping into the wildness of a child's imagination where there are no necessary boundaries and everything is possible. And the French was fairly accessible throughout. I enjoyed it, and I look forward to reading it with my son when he's older.
EDIT: I can't believe I completely missed the rather overt colonial overtones when I first read this, believing it to be an innocent childlike fantasy. It's the kind of thing that once you see it you can't unsee it, and it does make it harder to enjoy the book.
It starts off nice and peaceful with Babar the elephant in the forest, then BAM out of nowhere his mother is killed by a hunter. A bit rough for a children's book, but whatever. Babar flees to a town where the stage is set for a story about a loose elephant and the town trying to capture him or send him back to the forest while he wreaks havoc. But no, instead the villagers bizarrely seem blind to his elephant-ness, leaving him free to make friends with an old lady and then go clothes shopping (the shop just happens to sell elephant clothes) and spend the afternoon going up and down the elevator. Grief is fleeting in this surreal world.
Fast forward through Babar anthropomorphizing while living with the old lady and driving a car she bought for him. Then we get to perhaps the craziest, most action packed day in any creature's life ever. While out for a walk with the old lady his cousins Arthur and Céleste come running up to him, naked! *Clears throat*... they are elephants... Anyway Babar promptly buys them clothes and then their mother finds them and drags them back to the forest (in Babar's car) where the elephant king has died so Babar is made king and he decides to marry his cousin Céleste and they have a big coronation and wedding party and fly away in a hot air balloon. Whew! What a day! That takes compressed Shakespearean timelines to the next level.
It's hard to critique a book that is so wacky, even if all the matriarchal characters (Babar's mother, the old lady and Céleste's mother) vanish inexplicably into the background. I think it does a good job tapping into the wildness of a child's imagination where there are no necessary boundaries and everything is possible. And the French was fairly accessible throughout. I enjoyed it, and I look forward to reading it with my son when he's older.
EDIT: I can't believe I completely missed the rather overt colonial overtones when I first read this, believing it to be an innocent childlike fantasy. It's the kind of thing that once you see it you can't unsee it, and it does make it harder to enjoy the book.
metka's review against another edition
1.0
What did I just read? Did this elephant just marry his way younger cousin? And became king just because he had nice clothes and lived in the city? Listen I bought this because I remember sweet cartoon and books that were about adventures of Babar. I saw this online and bought it because I felt nostalgic and I love children’s books. This made me feel all sorts of feelings, but nostalgia and sweet childhood memory wasn’t one of them.
m3l89's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book when I was younger and recently found and reread it at my parents house.
I was not negatively affected by the death of Babar's mother, I was probably more affected by the death of Bambi's mother in the classic Disney film.
Lovely illustrations and a challenge to read as a child as the font was handwritten (or so it appears).
I was not negatively affected by the death of Babar's mother, I was probably more affected by the death of Bambi's mother in the classic Disney film.
Lovely illustrations and a challenge to read as a child as the font was handwritten (or so it appears).
yjpenny's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
bougainvillea's review against another edition
3.0
Problematic in many ways, but I still love Babar. Plus, my nephew liked it. :)
remocpi's review against another edition
3.0
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.
Spoiler
huerfanito