Laurent de Brunhoff Reveals Shocking Beginning of Beloved Babar Series
The scoop on what's behind the shocking killing of the little elephant's mother in the first Babar book.
When French author and illustrator Jean de Brunhoff died of tuberculosis at the age of 37, it looked as though one of the best loved characters in children's literature—Babar the elephant—would die with him.
But following the end of World War II de Brunhoff's son, Laurent de Brunhoff, then aged 21, took up his father's mantle. Since then, he has written more than 45 Babar books, as well as creating children's books with characters of his own invention, like Bonhomme and Serafina.
Today, Laurent de Brunhoff is a wry 89-year-old, more comfortable with pictures than words, who still does yoga every morning before getting down to work. His new book, Babar on Paradise Island, created with his wife and collaborator, Phyllis
