Juliette is a proficient reader, but when it came to Babar En Famille, she was at a considerable disadvantage. “It’s in cursive and French!” she complained.
I picked up these French version paperback copies of Babar favorites from my own childhood on a long-ago trip to the Boston Museum of Fine Art. Last night, I was feeling game for an adventure, so I decided to give my old mom-brain a workout and translate one of these for Juliette’s listening pleasure. My halting, awkward, extemporaneous translations made for great entertainment indeed. The humor was highlighted by the hilarious illustrations of baby elephants in various forms of peril throughout.
Because I read these as a child, I am terribly biased toward Babar myself. Did you know these somewhat strange stories are based on a French father’s off-the-cuff storytelling to his own children years ago? Who can resist? And for those of you who didn’t study French in college a million years ago, there are English translations for all the books.