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Babar
Babar En Amérique
Les rues pentues de San Francisco, les arbres géants sur la route de Los Angeles, le désert californien, le parc de Disney Land, le Grand Canyon, les Indiens.... Voilà des vacances de rêve en Amérique pour Babar et toute sa famille !
28 pages, Relié
First published January 1, 1965
1 person is currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Laurent de Brunhoff
397 books26 followersLaurent 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 2, 2021
Like a tranq dart to the neck Babar Comes to America never fails to leave my five year old somnolent at bedtime. I have read this book on multiple occasions for my son and it always does the trick.
September 17, 2017
Good heavens this book is long.
July 20, 2019
A little tour of famous American attractions.
January 29, 2022
Good book
July 21, 2024
Laurent de Brunhoff's "Babar Comes to America" continues the beloved elephant king's adventures in a delightful and thought-provoking tale that explores themes of friendship, cultural exchange, and the excitement of discovery.
In this installment, Babar and his family embark on a journey to America, encountering new landscapes, customs, and most importantly, new friends. The story beautifully captures the essence of exploring unfamiliar territories with an open heart and mind. As Babar navigates the challenges of adapting to a new environment, young readers are gently reminded of the importance of empathy and understanding in a multicultural world.
One memorable quote from the book that encapsulates its charm and wisdom is when Babar reflects, "Everywhere we went, we found something interesting and made new friends." This line not only emphasizes the spirit of adventure but also underscores the universal values of curiosity and kindness.
De Brunhoff's illustrations are as enchanting as ever, vividly depicting the bustling streets of an American city and the warmth of friendships that transcend borders. The book's narrative flow is gentle yet engaging, making it a perfect bedtime story or a classroom read-aloud.
Overall, "Babar Comes to America" is a heartwarming addition to the Babar series, celebrating diversity and the joy of cultural exploration. It's a must-have for any young reader's library, offering both entertainment and valuable life lessons that resonate long after the final page.
In this installment, Babar and his family embark on a journey to America, encountering new landscapes, customs, and most importantly, new friends. The story beautifully captures the essence of exploring unfamiliar territories with an open heart and mind. As Babar navigates the challenges of adapting to a new environment, young readers are gently reminded of the importance of empathy and understanding in a multicultural world.
One memorable quote from the book that encapsulates its charm and wisdom is when Babar reflects, "Everywhere we went, we found something interesting and made new friends." This line not only emphasizes the spirit of adventure but also underscores the universal values of curiosity and kindness.
De Brunhoff's illustrations are as enchanting as ever, vividly depicting the bustling streets of an American city and the warmth of friendships that transcend borders. The book's narrative flow is gentle yet engaging, making it a perfect bedtime story or a classroom read-aloud.
Overall, "Babar Comes to America" is a heartwarming addition to the Babar series, celebrating diversity and the joy of cultural exploration. It's a must-have for any young reader's library, offering both entertainment and valuable life lessons that resonate long after the final page.
January 16, 2013
Mommy's review from 6/5/11 -
Any book with Babar in it gets 5 stars from Julia. Julia first found Babar on On Demand. She used to watch a show or two in the evenings close to bedtime and she quickly fell in love.
Babar is one of the very few cartoons that I could sit down and watch and actually enjoy. When I found this in the supermarket markdown bin I jumped on it.
Julia was much surprised because this can't be more than our 2nd or 3rd Babar book. We just don't find them all that often. (Apparently this was out of print for a long time so we'll be holding on to this one.)
Babar Comes to America is just what the title states. The book begins with Babar on a Pan Am flight over Paris on his way to America. Babar plans to meet Arthur, Celeste, and the children later in California.
I wasn't expecting this to be nearly as extensive. I'm a little ashamed to admit that there were a few places Babar visited that I'd never heard of before.
Before I forget, there are a few parts which show how dated this is that popped out at me. One of the first being the pilot's announcement to the passengers ending with, "...please observe the no smoking sign." There is another part where Babar goes to Greenwich Village to hear a jazz band. The pianist is smoking. There's even an illustration devoted to Babar and Bob (a friend of the family) smoking cigars! (I was astounded to come to this listing and find that there are no reviewers screaming about this.)
So, Babar goes everywhere. Literally. He visits everything from the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials to Washington Monument. The Hilton Hotel, Park Avenue, Madison Square Garden. He goes to Boston and visits Harvard. He goes to Detroit and Chicago, Lake Michigan, the Rocky Mountains, the Golden Gate Bridge. You name it and Babar was there.
Celeste, Arthur, and the kids meet Babar later in the story and they continue on. De Brunhoff really manages to capture the beauty in the country. Not in the illustrations per se but the text, in what Babar does in each place he visits.
The illustrations stayed close to the shows we watch which is always nice. The illustration of Babar and Arthur in the helicopters is especially humorous.
The ending is particularly sweet although simple. Babar and his family miss their home even while knowing they'll miss America.
On the back cover of my edition is a listing of about 15+ other Babar titles. Just browsing quickly through I noticed about half, give or take, that would possibly interest Julia. I don't know if this list is missing other Babar titles or if this is all of them but either way it'll help anyone looking to find more.
Any book with Babar in it gets 5 stars from Julia. Julia first found Babar on On Demand. She used to watch a show or two in the evenings close to bedtime and she quickly fell in love.
Babar is one of the very few cartoons that I could sit down and watch and actually enjoy. When I found this in the supermarket markdown bin I jumped on it.
Julia was much surprised because this can't be more than our 2nd or 3rd Babar book. We just don't find them all that often. (Apparently this was out of print for a long time so we'll be holding on to this one.)
Babar Comes to America is just what the title states. The book begins with Babar on a Pan Am flight over Paris on his way to America. Babar plans to meet Arthur, Celeste, and the children later in California.
I wasn't expecting this to be nearly as extensive. I'm a little ashamed to admit that there were a few places Babar visited that I'd never heard of before.
Before I forget, there are a few parts which show how dated this is that popped out at me. One of the first being the pilot's announcement to the passengers ending with, "...please observe the no smoking sign." There is another part where Babar goes to Greenwich Village to hear a jazz band. The pianist is smoking. There's even an illustration devoted to Babar and Bob (a friend of the family) smoking cigars! (I was astounded to come to this listing and find that there are no reviewers screaming about this.)
So, Babar goes everywhere. Literally. He visits everything from the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials to Washington Monument. The Hilton Hotel, Park Avenue, Madison Square Garden. He goes to Boston and visits Harvard. He goes to Detroit and Chicago, Lake Michigan, the Rocky Mountains, the Golden Gate Bridge. You name it and Babar was there.
Celeste, Arthur, and the kids meet Babar later in the story and they continue on. De Brunhoff really manages to capture the beauty in the country. Not in the illustrations per se but the text, in what Babar does in each place he visits.
The illustrations stayed close to the shows we watch which is always nice. The illustration of Babar and Arthur in the helicopters is especially humorous.
The ending is particularly sweet although simple. Babar and his family miss their home even while knowing they'll miss America.
On the back cover of my edition is a listing of about 15+ other Babar titles. Just browsing quickly through I noticed about half, give or take, that would possibly interest Julia. I don't know if this list is missing other Babar titles or if this is all of them but either way it'll help anyone looking to find more.
August 28, 2014
This was a mediocre addition to the series. To be fair, I've found that I tend to enjoy the later books to the earlier ones. I found Babar Comes to America to be rather long and boring, strangely specific, and delightfully outdated.
The book is really, really long and I can't imagine it capturing the attention of many young kids for too long. Filled with unnecessary, very bizarre, and specific information that really could have been cut, I wondered if, like Babar, the editor was also on vacation during the publication. For example, in New York, instead of seeing jazz that night, Babar goes to "Greenwich Village to hear Theodorus Priest and his quartet". Huh? What kid cares (or for young readers can pronounce) that Babar saw Theodorus Priest? And when Babar goes to Hollywood he meets "famous moving-picture director Urchin Walls". What's the deal with the name-dropping? Very out of character with the rest of the series.
There is also a lot of attention given to now woefully outdated technology: "It is a very up-to-date airport. Traveling waiting rooms called mobile lounges, as comfortable as living rooms carry passengers from the planes to the terminal building." In other examples, vistadomes train cars, automatic cameras and telegraph poles all get a mention. It's not just that it's outdated, which of course happens as time marches on, but that it's so unnecessary to include. Perhaps De Brunhoff was being paid by the word for this one...
Again a product of its time, the book offers insights into America before the women's lib. movement. At a grocery store in Scarsdale (Scarsdale?!), Babar is the only male shopping. In San Francisco "Celeste and Flora have taken a taxi, because women are not permitted to ride on the outside of the cable car". You do not see any women included into the traditionally male scenes such as the factory, college or the political realm.
In one aspect Dr Brunhoff was way ahead of his time; product placement. It's everywhere! The first page Babar is flying in an airplane clearly identified as Pan Am. In New York there are a series of skyscrapes with only one -- smack dab in the center of the page -- identified, which is also Pan Am (was this the first example of corporate sponsorship of children's media?). Later in New York, Babar stays at a Hilton Hotel, has to make the hard decision between drinking Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, V-8 or 7 Up and shops at a grocery store replete with signs for Del Monte, Kellogg's and Heinz.
The book is really, really long and I can't imagine it capturing the attention of many young kids for too long. Filled with unnecessary, very bizarre, and specific information that really could have been cut, I wondered if, like Babar, the editor was also on vacation during the publication. For example, in New York, instead of seeing jazz that night, Babar goes to "Greenwich Village to hear Theodorus Priest and his quartet". Huh? What kid cares (or for young readers can pronounce) that Babar saw Theodorus Priest? And when Babar goes to Hollywood he meets "famous moving-picture director Urchin Walls". What's the deal with the name-dropping? Very out of character with the rest of the series.
There is also a lot of attention given to now woefully outdated technology: "It is a very up-to-date airport. Traveling waiting rooms called mobile lounges, as comfortable as living rooms carry passengers from the planes to the terminal building." In other examples, vistadomes train cars, automatic cameras and telegraph poles all get a mention. It's not just that it's outdated, which of course happens as time marches on, but that it's so unnecessary to include. Perhaps De Brunhoff was being paid by the word for this one...
Again a product of its time, the book offers insights into America before the women's lib. movement. At a grocery store in Scarsdale (Scarsdale?!), Babar is the only male shopping. In San Francisco "Celeste and Flora have taken a taxi, because women are not permitted to ride on the outside of the cable car". You do not see any women included into the traditionally male scenes such as the factory, college or the political realm.
In one aspect Dr Brunhoff was way ahead of his time; product placement. It's everywhere! The first page Babar is flying in an airplane clearly identified as Pan Am. In New York there are a series of skyscrapes with only one -- smack dab in the center of the page -- identified, which is also Pan Am (was this the first example of corporate sponsorship of children's media?). Later in New York, Babar stays at a Hilton Hotel, has to make the hard decision between drinking Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, V-8 or 7 Up and shops at a grocery store replete with signs for Del Monte, Kellogg's and Heinz.
December 27, 2014
Enjoyed reading this aloud to the younger children. Even the older children "snuck" around to listen an look at the pictures. I enjoy the older storybooks in the original format that have been "edited" for PC'ness. A player in the jazz band is smoking a cigarette, and Babar himself enjoys a cigar AND a pipe. This was a fun read.
Read
July 10, 2008I'm working on entering all the books I've ever read. This book was one of them. I read this book a long time ago.
November 6, 2009
Babar flies PanAm. Can elephants even ride on airplanes? What about the movie Operation Dumbo Drop?
June 28, 2011
It was great from start to finish!
July 22, 2012
Not terribly exciting, but shows lots of places in America.
September 21, 2014
This book has great visuals that show children important landmarks all around the United States as Babar explores America.
July 24, 2015
Read to James
December 29, 2015
My favorite bit was where Babar uses his trunk to eat sushi with chopsticks
March 23, 2016
Really good read. I like how it portrays American life in a simple way. Love the illustrations as well.
October 30, 2019
It's slightly interesting to learn what a Frenchman in the 1960s thought of America. Unfortunately, it's mostly really boring. Lots of highways.
March 16, 2008
An enjoyable and charming story.
July 31, 2012
One of my favorite childhood books, it gives a great look at life in the US in the early 1960s.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews