Elephants Books

Babar the Elephant books by Laurent de Brunhoff have captured a wide imagination, and this new reprint of a classic gives librarians the ability to replace or acquire aging classics with nice new hardcovers. De Brunhoff's BABAR COMES TO AMERICA tells of an invitation to meet with the President of the United States: another good excuse for a family vacation. Their first visit to America is captured in a fine reprint of the 1965 classic which appears for the first time in many years.

As a child, I read Babar in French, hence wanted to introduce my children to this lovable elephant. Babar Comes to America was published in 1965 and this is a reprint of that edition. It is about an official visit that Babar makes to visit the President of the United States, and while in the U.S., he vacations with his family in some of its cities.

Babar first visits Washington DC, then goes to New York and Boston (to get a degree from Harvard). From there he goes to Detroit where he visits an automobile assembly plant, and to Chicago where he fishes in Lake Michigan. From Chicago he goes to San Francisco, the Pacific Coast, Yosemite Park, Death Valley, and Los Angeles. There he visits Hollywood and Disneyland and goes to see the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River, Black Angus cattle (in Texas), and the French Quarter (in New Orleans) before returning to New York. In New York, he watches a football game and experiences Thanksgiving dinner before returning home.

De Brunhoff illustrates the consequences of over-eating when Babar does so during his time in New York and when Pom overeats in San Francisco. The illustration and the text constantly and subtly bring out the challenges of being well...big! This is done without a hint of discrimination, only consideration.

My nine-year-old read the book to his younger brother while Dad and Mom made up the audience. We first had to get past the fact that Babar is a "smaller" elephant (so he can fit in cars and other human creations); hence, he is drawn as slightly bigger than most humans are. My son commented that the bus fare in New York is not 15 cents. He also had no idea what a drive-in movie theater is, so there was supplemental learning. While the older one read the text, the younger one interpreted the pictures, giving us a fuller narrative.

As a family, this exercise was a wonderful experience as we shared our passion for reading and the splendors of the country we love.

Armchair Interviews says: A wonderful story, with a message that is still very fresh and entertaining.

Babar is funny. I was reminded of this when I read Babar the King to a seven- and a five-year old. They laughed at the elephants dressed up in clothes and they laughed at the elephants at the theatre. When it came to the part about the elephants at war, they stopped laughing. "That's dumb"the older one said.
I had to agree.

I had this book as I was growing up only 14 short years ago and still remember it as a wonderful book and an enjoyable companion to all of the other Babar books. An excellent addition to any child's collection and one they will be sure to treasure and remember for years to come.

My 2 year-old son likes to count to 10 and he has a number of counting books. He loves to pick out this particular book from all his counting books and likes to spend a lot of time leafing through the pages and examining the pictures. His favorite page is the page with the three red racing cars. We both like the large pages and the clear and colorful drawings. The elephant characters make the book very endearing. I have looked at many children's books and many counting books for toddlers and have not found a more delightful one. Laurent de Brunhoff has a very good understanding of which images a toddler enjoys most. We also greatly enjoy Babar's book of colors as well as Babar's ABC book.

One morning Babar and his wife are very busy, so they send the kids out for a walk to count what they can see. They see birds, elephants, camels, and alligators, and they learn to count to 20. The book is a very fun counting book. It has about 600 words.

An excellent board book for any pre-schooler who loves animals!

This series of books uses excellent photos with amusing line drawings to tell its story. The authors know just what detail to use, and how much, to create books that are good readalouds but still full of interesting facts. Who knew that elephants only four teeth and an adult is as big as two dump trucks?

Having spent a year in Africa, I can assure you that the illustrations so beautifully painted by John Butler, recreate the African plain. Most of the colors are yellows and oranges, with the brown mud. Bashi is born into an elephant family whose young females all protect and mother him, as is the norm. It is a good thing they do so, because Bashi's natural enemies are out there awaiting an opportunity. Unfortunately, they almost find one when little one day old Bashi is caught in the mud by the water hole. Luckily, his mother digs out around and under his feet and finally gets him free. The reader gets the idea of just how hard it is for the wonderful little creature to survive his first day of life on the African plain. Children loved it at a recent storytime I did.

This book provides a magnificent escape, with its astonishing illustrations that somehow really do capture the flat, endless essence of the desert savannah, the world the elephants and their potential predators inhabit. There are ordinary books with ordinary illustrations, and then there are books like this, with perfectly executed lines and colors. When you close the book, it is almost as if you've been to Africa, or seen a film of it. I suppose it is somehow like storyboards of a film. Anyhow, it is a beautiful, distinctive book that adults will like as much or more than child readers will. In addition, its story includes a deep motherlove between adult and child elephant that is moving in a calm, realistic way. A really excellent book.

The Douglas-Hamilton's tell a fascinating yet often heartbreaking tale of the struggle to save Africa's elephants from ivory poachers, corrupt officials, governments, and an explosive human population, with great style, objectivity, elegance and passion. This is an important book that should be made into a film, for it encapsulates the conservation story as a whole - why we must try to save the wilderness that remains for the future of the planet.

The Douglas-Hamiltons tell an amazing story of their work on the ground and flying across every African country hosting elephants, to document the status of and threats to the species. The story and writing style is captivating; a constantly exciting adventure, hard to put down. This is a beautiful and incredibly informative account of the slaughter of elephants that went on and on for 20 years while conservationists stood by, bickered, and asked for more information. Eye-opening, heart-breaking, but ultimately the efforts of this heroic couple were essential in bringing Africa's elephants into the 21st century. The description of the vast wild landscapes and flying across Africa are wonderful. This story will capture your imagination. Highly recommended.

I love this book. It reminds me of all the great things in Saratoga Springs from the Race Track to Congress Park to SPAC.

What a sweet story, with gorgeous illustrations. The author has a keen sense of what keeps a child's attention. I highly recommend it, even if you don't summer in Saratoga!!!

Everybody has an opinion and in today's world they get shared more often and remain viable for longer thanks to the internet and other media. This fable is an important reminder to take perspective and experience into account and then to make decisions based on those that have the best perspective and I daresay the best opinion.

The Blind Men and The Elephant is a wonderfully written book. It tells the tail of six blind men who travel to their prince's palace in order to meet his new elephant. The students may ask, how can blind men meet an elephant? In this well written story, each blind man touches only part of the elephant. They go on to describe what the elephant feels like. For example: one blind men says "the elephant feels like a wall", another blind man describes the elephant as "the elephant feels like a snake". This is a great book for teaching the sense of touch to students grades K-3.

As a child, I loved this book, and still own my copy of it! I would recommend it for anyone with children as a simple, fun story. Take a look, and see what you might order

This is a wonderful book for children of all ages (I'm forty-something and I still love it). It tells the story of three mountains who receive mail order catalogs ( yes, they have mail boxes) and the items they subsequently order. It is a fanciful story with whimsical black and white ink drawn illustrations. Jasper Tomkins' unique imagination makes this a special book which I hope I'll never outgrow.

A lovely book! One to give to all the children in your life, no matter the age. Reminds the reader of the true meaning of Christmas.

This is one in a series of books, each for a different occasion. There is also one for a birthday blessing, a bridal blessing, and a new house. They are full of wishes for the person/ persons to whom they are being presented. I saw them in a book store in California but didn't want to bring them home in my luggage and was hoping they would be available through Amazon and they are. I will be ordering them as each occasion/holiday presents themselves. They are chock full or beautiful thoughts for the person/persons.