Babar Visits Another Planet

Babar

by Laurent de Brunhoff

Babar and his family are abducted and taken by rocket ship to an unknown planet where the residents are very hospitable and there are many interesting sights to see.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Science Fiction, France, Animals, Space

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Laurent de Brunhoff est un auteur et illustrateur français.

Laurent De Brunhoff has kept the spirit of Babar and his family alive for over 50 years. Babar was created by Laurent's mother as a bedtime story, and was first illustrated by Laurent's father, Jean de Brunhoff.

After his father's death, Laurent continued to create over 30 Babar stories.

Laurent de Brunhoff lived in Connecticut with his wife, writer Phyllis Rose.

Reviews

[Etienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another funny and entertaining Babar journey, continuing on this nostalgic ride of mine recently. I loved it!

[Jennifer B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little weird. Babar and his family get abducted by aliens and then kicked off the alien planet once the natives turn hostile.

I did like the interpretation of the elephant aliens and their world, though.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today I'll be listening to The Barber of Seville by Rossini.

Joke. Today I'll be reading and reviewing about The Babar of Just about Everywhere. I've grabbed a big bunch o' books about him from the library and, with slight trepidation, I'm starting today's interesting Babar adventures.

Disclaimer: As a child, I found these books irrelevant to my life and just plain uninteresting. As a Mom, to my relief, I found that my son was never into them. But now? Maybe I've grown enough to appreciate what I couldn't appreciate before.

HEY, THIS TIME AROUND I LIKE THE DRAWINGS

They charm me, as if inked by a French version of Dr. Seuss. Combining whimsy and child-appropriateness and also maybe an underlying dry wit. (Reading the text I'll be able to decide about the question of dry wit.)

From Wikipedia I learn that the author of this book, Laurent de Brunhoff (now age 95, with quite a twinkle in his eyes) is known primarily for continuing the Babar the Elephant series of children's books that was created by his father, Jean de Brunhoff, starting in 1931.

These books always struck me as very old-fashioned. Now I know why. 1931!

OKAY, NOW TO START READING THIS BOOK PROPERLY

Instantly, I'm loving the humor, and there's plenty of it.

Also I applaud the right-sized amount of detail. For instance, when aboard the rocket just supplied for them, out of nowhere, what do they eat? "Cookies, served by a robot, while soft, soothing noises, like music" reassured the travelers. Wonderful!

Altogether I find this book adorable, the illustrations superb. And yes, I do find much tongue-in-cheek wit, dry wit, in the story creation.

BY NOW I THINK I CAN APPRECIATE THE APPEAL OF THIS SERIES

Some children's books appeal to nerds. (Like my husband, my son, and me.) We thrive on learning, mistrusting easy adventures. We prefer to stretch our own imaginations, and do that on our own, when aided by the scaffolding of a storybook.

But plenty of other children are quite the opposite. As readers, they're not so demanding. Babar books are wonderful for kids who don't have to be big intellectuals in order to enjoy a good story. This "Another Planet" story is heartwarming, sweet, and adventurous; all without being scary. The imaginative part is presented on every page, ready made, thanks to the gently developing narration and those adorb illustrations.

BTW, THIS BOOK QUOTE MIGHT BE A BIT TOO SPECIALIZED FOR GOODREADS' QUOTE SECTION...

So here it is in my review:

[An alien] made a very long speech, "Toc, tuyip, tuyip, tic. Pituit tic tic toc."

Babar found he understood wht was being said, although he did not know the language.

To me, that's childhood telepathy (up to age five) in a nutshell. I attempted to describe this in my memoir, "Bigger than All the Night Sky." But I like Laurent's version better.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Babar Visits Another Planet is an unexpected space adventure. A rocketship appears from out of nowhere while Babar and family are having a picnic. In no time at all they are up in space with some strange looking creatures. The aliens are friendly, and the family learns about a culture different than their own. My favorite character is the little blue-spotted alien puppy with multiple antenna. Illustrations are beautiful in the classic de Brunhoff style, minimal and pastel. A nice change of scenery for fans of the original tales.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Babar book was really cute. When Babar and his family get a chance to visit creatures on another planet, things don't go to plan. The interactions between the two different beings. Babar's family shows throughout the book that you can find commonalities with others even in the strangest of circumstances. Highly recommended.

Author: Laurent de Brunhoff
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Publication Date: 1972

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a charming book. Babar and his family are abducted by aliens who look similar to elephants but are smaller with curly ears. The story is really about getting to know another culture and the pitfalls one has along the way. There are some wonderful things there, including a machine that delivers coffee and donuts, plus a system of balloons that keep everyone from the sinking sands. Arthur’s, as one might imagine, gets in trouble, and Babar and his hosts realize it’s time for them to go home.

[Willow Redd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gotta love Babar.

Here, he and his family are kidnapped by a remote-controlled rocket and taken to another planet, where the inhabitants live very odd lives compared to those on Earth. Plus, they resemble elephants somewhat.

Babar and his family must adapt to the differences of this alien world, but are they too different from the natives?

Another book from my childhood revisited.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tätä lukiessani mietin vain, että mitä ihmettä Lauren de Brunhoff on nauttinut saadessaan tällaisen idean päähänsä. Jopa lapsesta tarina vaikutti hivenen häiriintyneeltä. Tämä tarina sai meidät pitämään hetken taukoa Babarista.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another darling little Babar book. I grew up with Babar Visiting Bird Island, so I bought this book at a yard sale although it is literally falling apart. The outer space alien elephants were delightful.

[Zaquira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what happened when you’re bored at urgent care. You pick up a random and read it. But no regrets so….( also I read it to my sister)

[Mckinley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love that the aliens are elephantine in shape! Overall, I thought this was an odd story in the Babar set. I remember thinking it was sort of odd - being kidnapped by the rocket and the aliens who aren't so nice. Looking at it now, I wonder where is the story? It's more a travel brochure for life on that planet.