Babar's Little Girl (Babar Classics) [Hardcover]

Laurent de Brunhoff (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up | Series: Babar Classics

A re-issue with the original artwork of one of the best loved of the Babar series of children's books. Babar's Little Girl, originally published in 1987, tells of the birth of Babar's youngest child, Isabelle. She is playful and curious. Although she has been told never to go anywhere without letting her parents know where she is, Isabelle wanders off one day to play with friends. At the friends' house they play hide-and-seek, make music, and play cards. When they settle in front of the television, they see Babar on the screen asking if anyone has seen Isabelle. Her friends immediately grab their hang gliders and whisk Isabelle home, where she is greeted with hugs and kisses, and a gentle scolding from Babar.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When Babar and Celeste's new baby girl is born, everyone rejoices. What fun it is to watch little Isabelle learn to walk and play trumpet and roller skate... and get lost in the mountains! After the family goes for a walk one day, they discover young Isabelle is missing. Carelessly, Isabelle has forgotten what her papa told her last time she wandered off: never to disappear without telling her family where she is going. Eventually, the little rascal finds herself near the home of old family friends and ends up having a delightful day playing with them, until they see Babar on TV, desperately searching for his daughter. After a thrilling ride on a hang glider, the prodigal daughter returns to the welcoming (if scolding) arms of her family.

Laurent de Brunhoff's exciting Babar adventures, based on his father's original tales and artwork (The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant, Babar the King, etc.), continue to thrill readers, generation after generation. The familiar watercolors of this beloved elephant family are as appealing as ever, even in a contemporary story that includes CD players with earphones and yoga exercises. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Beloved King Babar and his Queen Celeste have a new addition to the familylittle Isabelle. This is her story, an account of her birth, cradle days, sitting-at-the-dining-table days, walking days, skating days and then running away. She wanders to Blue Valley, crosses the river to the house on the hill where she is welcomed by two gentleman, Boover and Picardee. But after Isabelle sees her father Babar on TV, pleading for her to come back home, her friends fly her home in their hang gliders. This is like any family storyof more interest to surrounding relatives than the world at large. But some readers will want to meet Isabelle and renew friendship with characters from the other, better Babar stories. Ages 48.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 38 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810957035
• ISBN-13: 978-0810957039
• Product Dimensions: 12.6 x 9.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #886,868 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Babar, but be a little careful..., February 21, 2003

By 

bethlovesbooks (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Babar's Little Girl (Babar Classics) (Hardcover)

I just read this story to my four-year old daughter. It's a classic story from this author, nothing "wrong" with it, but you do need to watch out and may want to explain some parts. In the storyline, the girl elephant wanders off by herself and accepts a boatride from a stranger...then she knocks on the door of an unfamiliar house. Two male characters invite her inside and they all play together until they overhear a news alert that Babar is looking for his missing daughter, so they take her home. After reading it, I explained to my daughter that I didn't want her to wander off, accept boat rides from strangers or knock on unfamiliar doors and go inside a stranger's home. This story was written in a simpler era when concerns were a bit different than in today's world.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dangerous for young kids, June 3, 2008

By 

NPH (Ridgewood, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Babar's Little Girl (Babar Classics) (Hardcover)

I read this story to my 3 year old because I remember loving Babar as a child, but I will not read it to her again. The little girl in the story wanders off, accepts rides from strangers, plays in an adult's house all day without her parents knowing where she is, and then when she returns home they all have a good laugh about it. It is at best, teaching a dangerous message to impressionable young kids.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Isabella Joins the Babar Family and Has a Great Adventure!, March 25, 2001

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Babar's Little Girl (Babar Classics) (Hardcover)

If you are a Babar fan, you know Pom, Flora, and Alexander quite well. In this book, Celeste is about to have a baby. Babar is hoping for a girl, so he will have equal numbers of daughters and sons. When Celeste unexpectedly gives birth under a tree, he gets his wish! The remainder of the story describes Isabella's babyhood and her personality. I enjoyed this first Isabella story, and look forward to hearing more about her in future Babar books.

Isabella brings great pleasure to the royal elephant family. Babar is a proud papa. "Celeste loved to show her off at every opportunity. Pom, Flora, and Alexander were enchanted . . . and so was everyone else."

Everyone agreed Isabella was an "amazing baby." She soon stood in her cradle and hurled her toys at her siblings. She had a hearty appetite and was "full of energy." But she could be very quiet, and would sit peacefully watching a grasshopper (her favorite insect) in the grass.

As an independent child, she began to present challenges. At her fifth birthday party, she went off alone and Babar had to scold her.

A few days later the whole family went for a walk. Isabella had already forgotten about the scolding, and went off to play hide-and-seek with herself. Soon, she was nowhere to be found. Then her great adventure began.

When it was over, cousin Arthur didn't believe a word of her story, even though it was all true. Babar scolded her, and she fell asleep on his large lap. "Our little girl is very special," he said.

This book is excellent for introducing the idea of having a new sibling in a family, and that life will be different than anyone can expect. Parents who are about to have a new offspring should get this book as one of many to help ease the transition.

I also liked the idea that children have unique personalities, and will express those personalities as easily as they breathe. I was glad to see that Isabella was made more distinctive than the other Babar children in this way, who often seem to be a little on the uninteresting side.

The other appeal of this book is how a family adapts and becomes different with each new arrival. That message is carried out in a positive and pleasant way, that is totally credible. Nicely done!

The book is good, too, for reinforcing the idea of getting help from family friends. So if you child is accidentally locked out of the house, it will seem natural to go to the friendly parents of a neighbor child to get the key you have left there. This story should make every child feel more wanted, and part of a wide support network of loving adults and family.

After you finish enjoying this story, I suggest that you ask your child to tell you more about what a family is, what each person in your family is like, and what she or he hopes for from being part of the family. You can use the Babar stories as one point of reference. One good connection here is that the Babars have lots of friends who have relationships with the children. Does your child like or not like that feature? In this way, you can help your child begin to visualize what kind of life he or she will want to build as an adult.

Appreciate the specialness of each person, animal, and plant!