SuitabookThe Story of Babar
Jean De Brunhoff
- Reading
- Read together first, pausing before and after the mother’s death to acknowledge feelings without assuming how the child will respond. Afterwards, revisit the clothing, customs and ending, asking whose choices are treated as admirable.
- Themes
- Loss and resilience: Babar loses his mother, escapes a hunter, grieves and builds a life in a city before returning to the elephants. The story gives the loss emotional weight but moves towards adaptation, recognition and return rather than dwelling on grief.
- Civilisation and belonging: The book addresses civilisation and belonging; the detail of how it is developed remains unclear. The narrative appears to value flexibility, manners and social acceptance, while later criticism identifies colonial implications and competing readings of authority.
- Childhood and adulthood: The book addresses childhood and adulthood; the detail of how it is developed remains unclear. The book treats movement between childlike enjoyment and adult responsibility as part of Babar’s appeal and identity.
- Worth knowing
- The book presents violence involving a hunter and the death of Babar’s mother, followed by visible grief. It also depicts human clothing, customs and ‘civilisation’ as desirable, which may merit historical and cultural questioning.