Illustrators of children’s books rarely get the recognition they deserve. There are notable exceptions - Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss, and Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff being the most prominent among them.

This living-room sized book features the character of Babar, an “intrepid and well-mannered elephant.” The first story was originally created in 1930 by Cecile de Brunhoff for her children, Laurent and Mathieu. Her husband, Jean de Brunhoff, wrote it down and illustrated it. Six other books followed, one per year. Two uncles, who were publishers, produced the books, and they were a success. But after Jean died in 1937, the books stopped as well, at least temporarily.

In 1946, the author of this compendium tells us, Babar was resurrected by Laurent, who proceeded, beginning in 1965, to make over 30 Babar books. This book tells the story of the de Brunhoff family, and the stories behind the Babar books. Not only are the plots discussed, but the drawing process gets a great deal of attention as well. The book is replete with illustrations, most of which are in color and several of which occupy two-page spreads.

Evaluation: This is a delightful addition to any library. Both children and adults will spend many enjoyable hours pouring over the artwork, and reliving their favorite moments from the stories. ( )

His tales translated into 17 languages, Babar the elephant fled the jungle and entered Western civilization in 1931 in a book by the de Brunhoffs. Here, for the first itme, is a fascinating look at the story behind Babar and his creators.