Jean de Brunhoff (1899–1937)

This book has all the lively and humorous features of all the other Babar the Elephant tales, the brightly colored, warm, and friendly drawings of our beloved elephant royalty, the antics and escapades of the elephants themselves, and, of course, our hero, King Babar once again, saving the day, in this book, a most important day, Christmas!

Arthur, Pom, Flora, Alexander, the royal elephant children, and their monkey pal, Zephir, write Father Christmas a wish list letter and are saddened when he doesn't reply; this ultimately leads to Babar's realization that the Elephants' Country needs to be on included on his regular route, so he goes to valiant lengths to make his childrens' wishes come true. Babar and Father Christmas become fast friends, and Father Christmas even takes a much-needed rest in the tropical climate of Babar's country. The way de Brunhoff has drawn Father Christmas is quirky and fun and a bit different from the image we have of him today, but it entirely captures the essence of this beautiful holiday icon. If you have loved other Babar stories, you will surely love it as I did. If this is your first meeting with Babar, it stands alone well.… (more)