No.86 - Babar The King

It's been a while since I posted anything on here and that's because I've been busy trying to get the first assignment of my MA in, and I am pleased to say that it's finally been posted on its merry way! The focus of the essay was Roald Dahl's classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and I hope at some point to be able to share some my ideas with you. It's safe to say that after all that analysis, I will never view the book in the same way again, whether or not that's a good thing I'm yet to decide!

Anyway, to today's text, Babar the King, one of the Babar the Elephant stories, written and illustrated by Jean de Brunhoff in the 1930s. There are a total of seven Babar books, and the loveable elephant is famous world wide. Starting his life in French, Babar's tales have now been translated into 17 languages, and apparently there are 12 Babar shops in Japan! It's clear to see that this elephant has touched the hearts of many!

Babar The King is the third book in Brunhoff's series. In the two previous books Babar's mother is killed by poachers, he is raised by a kind old lady, he is crowned King of the Elephants, he marries his cousin, travels on his honeymoon in a hot air balloon, is stranded on a desert island, kidnapped and forced into a circus and finally he returns home to win the war against the Rhinos! Phew! The third book sees him settling down in the Land of the Elephants, building his own city called Celesteville (after his Queen), and ruling over his adoring subjects. Babar could be described as a sort of friendly dictator, and the book is not without implicit political undertones. You could say it displays elements of both Colonialism and Communism! 

All is well in the idyllic Celesteville (the closeness to the word celestial is no coincidence here I feel!). Life is good, Babar is a very kind dictator and his subject are happy with their lives, thriving in their new community. The book could go on being wonderfully pastoral and jolly, but no, it rather takes a turn for the worse i'm afraid! The Old Lady, who has been Babar's adopted mother figure, gets bitten by a snake, and is rushed to hospital! Thank goodness Babar had considered state funded medicine for his city! The Old Lady is soon in the care of Dr Capoulosse, but her condition is unstable, and Babar is told she may not make it! Cheery for a children's book that started out so nicely!

However, that is not all Babar has to worry about! On his way home he passes Cornelius's house, and sees that it's on fire and poor Cornelius is stuck on the upper floor!! But thank goodness Babar made sure his city had all the emergency services, because the fire brigade are there putting out the blaze, and rescuing Cornelius. Suffering from smoke inhalation and a nasty wound to the head Cornelius is taken to the hospital too. The fire, we are told, was started by Cornelius throwing a match towards his ashtray, missing, and setting his wastepaper bin alight! Surely a message about the perils of smoking!! 

Babar goes to bed very worried about his friends and in his dreams he is visited by Misfortune, and her other negative companions such as Despair, Anger and Discouragement! However, these are quickly followed by a gang of winged elephant angels who bring joy and happiness, and low and behold when we wakes up the Old Lady and Cornelius are well again! 

If I'm totally honest I'm not sure what message we are supposed to take from all this. Babar didn't do anything wrong, so i'm not entirely sure why he was punished, and idyllic life seems to return straight away, unchanged from the way it was before the accidents. Maybe we are being told not to take a lovely life for granted? Ideas on the back of a postcard please!

All in all, the story is rather old fashioned, not really very inspiring, and even a little confusing. Instead it is the loveable characters and Brunhoff's brightly coloured illustrations that hold the appeal. The personified elephants are a joy to behold in their suits and hats going about their business in their perfectly planned city. 

Next time i'll be looking at Joan Aiken's novel The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.

Thanks for reading, L x

The Lost Beatrix Potter Story: The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots

Last week marked a historic moment for all lovers of Beatrix Potter's classic animal tales. A new story was posthumously published, one that had lain forgotten for around 100 years! Beatrix Potter had written The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots in 1914, over 10 years after her first children's book The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published, but it never became more than just a manuscript. Some suggest that the advent of the First World War may have, among other things, interrupted the completion of the Kitty story, which was found with only one illustration and here it is.

It is a charming tale about a cat who enjoys poaching! Kitty or Miss Catherine St Quintin (as she likes to call herself!) likes to don a 'gentleman's Norfolk jacket and little fur-lined boots' and brandish an air-gun at every opportunity! The story follows her as she sneaks out at night to go hunting, switching places with another black cat called Winkiepeeps, so as not to arouse the suspicions of her doting owner. Here she encounters a range of wonderfully personified characters, some a little more familiar than others! She picks up her gun from her friend Cheesebox the cat, and then accidentally shoots Mrs Tiggywinkle (thankfully she only hits her bag of washing!)! She then tries to shoot mice, crows and sheep, before coming across two naughty poaching ferrets Slimmy Jimmy and John Stoat-Ferret, who are pleasingly clad in flat-caps and waistcoats. The two ferrets are after rabbits and it is here that our famous friend Peter Rabbit makes an appearance! Kitty stalks Peter for a while, but luckily doesn't shoot him because 'he was wearing such an elegant jacket' (in true Beatrix Potter style!). The story is not yet over for Kitty however, as she soon finds herself caught in a poachers trap! How ironic! Mrs Tiggywinkle saves her and we are told that she gets away 'with the loss of one toe'! Potter has often been praised for not talking down to her readers and this clearly shows it! Children's literature critic Peter Hollindale once called Potter a 'post-fabulist naturalist', suggesting she was keen to focus on the realities of the natural world, whilst also taking inspiration from the animal fable genre. She doesn't shy away from the consequences of poaching, especially when Mrs Tiggywinkle turns up (alive) in a bag full of furs, half eaten rabbits and a cat's tail! In the end Kitty gives up poaching and establishes a life as a genteel cat, having tea parties and only associating with respectable animals.

Discovered with just the one illustration, a new illustrator had to be found in order for this little gem to be unleashed on the world! What would happen to The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots without it's trademark drawings? 

Cue national treasure Sir Quentin Blake! 

I love Quentin Blake's illustrations! From Roald Dahl's stories, to his own poetry, and even his murals for hospitals, his art is full of a playfulness and joy! I recently had the opportunity to choose one of his illustrations for an exhibition at my local art gallery. You can see my choice Parrot's Toast here! 

Now, like many people, despite my love of Blake's gorgeous illustrations I was wondering how this slightly crazy, vibrant style was going to fit with the calm and genteel style of Potter's writing. I had no need to worry! Yes, they are scratchy and full of movement, and not at all like Beatrix's delicate, soft animal drawings, but this is not a negative point by any means! You just need to look at the cover to see how well he has portrayed the slightly bizarre character of Kitty! Although strikingly different to Potter's portrayal, the slightly mad glint in Kitty's eye seems to work so well with her character! She was almost too serious before!

It's so lovely to see Potter's story interpreted in a different way. The format of the book has remained in keeping with the original stories with the words and pictures on opposite pages, like windows into this secret animal world. Blake's illustrations are fitting to the story and he has interpreted the characters we know and love extremely well, so that you feel you are looking at the same character despite style differences.

All in all it is a beautiful homage to the world and writing of Beatrix Potter. 

Thanks for reading , L x