The Story of Babar

This children's story, published in 1931, is a development of a spontaneous story told by the author's wife to their young children. The central character, Babar, is a young elephant whose mother is shot dead by “a cruel hunter”. He runs for his life and eventually reaches a colonial town (looking so French that it could be France itself — there are no African people shown on the streets, only Europeans). There he's adopted by a wealthy old lady who “loved making others happy”.

The author, Jean de Brunhoff (born 9 December 1899), was born in Paris. On leaving school, he joined the army and began active service on the Western Front in the last weeks of the First World War. After the war he trained in art at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. His first book (this one), with his own colourful illustrations, appeared in 1931 and was an instant success. Six more Babar books followed before the author's premature death from tuberculosis in October 1937. His son, Laurent, wrote and illustrate Babar stories after his father’s death, staying faithful to the style of the original.

It's significant that the plot of this children's story first told in the 1920s is about the violent death of a family member of a young child. There were thousands of French children growing up without a father and this kind of story would help to encourage them to see beyond their loss and deprivation. The author brings the Babar character from a situation of terror to a situation in which he feels loved and protected. Even then, however, he “was not altogether happy” and “when he thought of his dear mother, he used to cry”.