The Travels of Babar

by Jean de Brunhoff

Paperback, 1989

Status

Available

Call number

400

Publication

Dragonfly Books (1989), Edition: First Edition

Description

Babar and Celeste have many adventures as they travel around the world.

User reviews

LibraryThing member artlibby

Babar and his wife Celeste share a most unusual honeymoon adventure in this 1934 French to English translation. Readers will be reminded of the early publication date through the blackface representations of the savages the new couple come across upon the crash landing of their hot air balloon. The

story progresses as the couple faces new obstacles, including being forced to perform in a circus and returning home to find their elephant nation at war. An endearing old lady emerges in the middle of the story who is both a friend and savior to the young couple in more ways than one. The cultural markers in this book point out the need for librarians to ensure they have a diversified collection to balance out the stereotypical representations mentioned earlier.

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LibraryThing member stevetempo

Ah! A journey to far off lands. I just loved these stories.

LibraryThing member msmalnick

Hey, no honeymoon is complete without adventure.

LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV

I agree with the other reviewers that this is deeply disturbing from an adult pov. But I did enjoy these books as a child, and was not brainwashed by them. They weren't my favorites, but I did like the vocabulary, because it made me feel smart, and the clever problem-solving. Well, fortunately

there are lots better books avl. to children now; these can just fade away.

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LibraryThing member themulhern

Deadpan again. The Old Lady is just so delighted to have two naked elephants in her living room. And where she finds a nightdress for Celeste I can not fathom. Arthur does an obnoxious thing and starts a whole war; there's a point there. I wonder if Rataxes is ever seen again.

When I was a kid the

gash in Babar (or Celeste's) rear from a spear, and the other spear being pushed with great vigor into that same rear gave me the willies. Lots of anger in the story, against the cannibals, the ship's captain, and rather justifiably on Rataxes part against Arthur.

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