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Babar
As Histórias de Babar
«Hoje, passados mais de trinta anos, Babar está no coração da minha conceção do que faz de um livro ilustrado uma obra de arte.» Maurice Sendak
Este volume reúne pela primeira vez em Portugal as histórias originais de que Babar é protagonista e que foram criadas por Jean de Brunhoff. As Histórias de Babar de Jean de Brunhoff.
Este volume reúne pela primeira vez em Portugal as histórias originais de que Babar é protagonista e que foram criadas por Jean de Brunhoff. As Histórias de Babar de Jean de Brunhoff.
280 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1994
3 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Jean de Brunhoff
292 books82 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 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 16, 2025
Figura que acompanhou a minha infância (na TV) e à qual regressei agora com prazer. Um livro composto pelas 5 histórias originais. Ilustração muito bonita para um texto simples mas com mensagens fortes e importantes.
November 21, 2023
Nostalgic fun!
August 19, 2025
Read with my daughter. Very fun. In the same spirit as Curious George or Winnie the Pooh or Madeleine. This particular collection was in a cursive script that was a little challenging to read but very beautiful. I especially enjoyed the Father Christmas story. The illustrations are wonderful. Recommend for all children.
February 16, 2023
The picture book is an extraordinary medium. Of course this does not hold for all picture books, but it does for this one, and for Frog and Toad (which is a work that is near and dear to me). In this book, the plot starts off as such: Barbar, as a baby elephant, sees his mother shot by a hunter, and he goes berserk, finding himself in a human city, where he has the luck of encountering an elderly wealthy woman, who adopts him, gives him clothes and education, etc. He eventually returns to the forest as the new king, and he has a beautiful, loving relationship with his elephant wife. They go on adventures together.
The amount of text on each page is quite like a stanza of poetry. Poetry and the picture book can have in common the feature of there being few, bare words, ladled to the reader at a time, where the simplicity enables the imagination to rush forth and conjure many more meanings and emotions, which can be reconstructed by sentences, but can never be reduced to that. A major difference between poetry and the picture book is that only the latter offers visual art, to accompany each stanza. The art, in combination with words, adds ever more possibility for the imagination's play. The art and the words enhance one another; it is remarkable to read the bit of the story, to look at the illustration, and have it infused with the emotions of the poetry of the text; and then to look at the text again, and have it enhanced by the beauty and sensations given by the illustration.
Also, that the writing is intended for children can add to this extraordinariness. Because it's for children, the text is very straightforward and simple. It almost feels like a sort of absurdist poetry, which is plain and literal on the surface, but this only adds to the jarringness and complexity of the meaning. Moreover, unlike poetry in general, the picture book can deliver really good morals. This book, in particular, does that without being moralistic.
I speak only have jokingly, when I make this comparison. I'd like to get my hands on more picture books that are of similar quality to this one. I wonder about the ways authors/illustrators have pushed this medium. I'd like to try to give a little go at it someday.
The amount of text on each page is quite like a stanza of poetry. Poetry and the picture book can have in common the feature of there being few, bare words, ladled to the reader at a time, where the simplicity enables the imagination to rush forth and conjure many more meanings and emotions, which can be reconstructed by sentences, but can never be reduced to that. A major difference between poetry and the picture book is that only the latter offers visual art, to accompany each stanza. The art, in combination with words, adds ever more possibility for the imagination's play. The art and the words enhance one another; it is remarkable to read the bit of the story, to look at the illustration, and have it infused with the emotions of the poetry of the text; and then to look at the text again, and have it enhanced by the beauty and sensations given by the illustration.
Also, that the writing is intended for children can add to this extraordinariness. Because it's for children, the text is very straightforward and simple. It almost feels like a sort of absurdist poetry, which is plain and literal on the surface, but this only adds to the jarringness and complexity of the meaning. Moreover, unlike poetry in general, the picture book can deliver really good morals. This book, in particular, does that without being moralistic.
I speak only have jokingly, when I make this comparison. I'd like to get my hands on more picture books that are of similar quality to this one. I wonder about the ways authors/illustrators have pushed this medium. I'd like to try to give a little go at it someday.
March 12, 2024
I had never read Babar as a kid, but it was always like my 20th favourite show on TV. It was a pleasant diversion, sure, but certainly no Dragon Ball Z or Digimon! I imagined that I, now in my thirties and well versed in kids lit, would appreciate the subtleties of Babar on a deeper level and recognize it as a classic. Honestly though, it was barely 3 stars for me.
I found the stories charming enough, and can understand why it was popular in its day, but it was all a bit too quaint and simple. That's the most damning thing I can say though. It's still a cute series, overall.
I would say that if you or your kids enjoy books like "Winnie the Pooh", "Paddington", maybe "Wind in the Willows", your kids might really like "Babar".
Individual Story Ratings:
Story of Babar: 3.5 stars (Warning: Mother gets shot by a poacher on like the third page)
The Travels of Babar: 3 stars
Babar the King: 4 stars
Babar and His Children: 2 Stars
Babar and Father Christmas: 2 stars
I found the stories charming enough, and can understand why it was popular in its day, but it was all a bit too quaint and simple. That's the most damning thing I can say though. It's still a cute series, overall.
I would say that if you or your kids enjoy books like "Winnie the Pooh", "Paddington", maybe "Wind in the Willows", your kids might really like "Babar".
Individual Story Ratings:
Story of Babar: 3.5 stars (Warning: Mother gets shot by a poacher on like the third page)
The Travels of Babar: 3 stars
Babar the King: 4 stars
Babar and His Children: 2 Stars
Babar and Father Christmas: 2 stars
November 22, 2020
It was so fun to read Babar stories again as an adult. Unfortunately, the memories are better. I still enjoyed the stories but there were just a few things that felt off in this day and age. And sometimes the plot felt a bit funky. But hey, it is being translated from French, and it is an older book, so that's to be expected, no?
November 26, 2010
Beautiful illustrations and hand written text. The stories certainly have moments of excitement but can be quite wordy and a bit stodgy by today's standards. Certainly interesting read from a historical standpoint. My son is only 3.5 and he seemed a little bored by these. I'm not sure many older children will enjoy the slow moving plots unless they plan on becoming anthropologists.
September 20, 2022
Apesar de, claramente, ter demasiadas referências colonialistas e imperialistas, e padecer de todas as enfermidades possíveis de uma obra datada e hoje bastante inadequada, o que , na minha opinião, sobra, é um belo livro infantil,que deve exigir aos pais leitores que não sejam fundamentalistas da cultura de cancelamento, um razoável esforço de " tradução simultânea".
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews