Laurent de Brunhoff still reigns over his royal legacy It’s been seven years since we’ve seen a new story involving Babar, the king of the elephants. Before his untimely death in 1937, French artist Jean de Brunhoff turned a family bedtime story into an international favorite when he wrote and illustrated the original The Story of Babar in 1931 and followed it with six more Babar books. The eldest of Jean’s three sons, Laurent, carried on the adventure of Babar and has since published over 30 Babar stories which have been translated into 17 languages and sold millions of copies all over the world. The stories have influenced the imaginations of generations as they turned the colorful pages and learned more about these adventurous and fashionable elephants who walk upright, wear glasses and hats, drive cars, raise children, and exist in their own world with humans as if there were no barriers. Now Babar, his family, and the wise old Cornelius are back in a new adventure from the imagination of Laurent de Brunhoff called Babar and the Succotash Bird. The new book is about Babar’s son, Alexander, who meets a magician bird, a Succotash bird, who shows the young elephant tricks and captures his imagination. But unfortunately for Alexander, there are two types of Succotash birds, good and bad, and the story illustrates the consequences when one is confused for another during a family hiking trip to the mountains. Laurent’s signature bright watercolors and interesting mix of elephant and human characteristics are as entertaining as ever. “You know, it may happen in conversation, but when I have an idea it is so visual sometimes,” said Laurent from his part-time home in New York City. “When I travel somewhere I want to use what I’ve seen, but Babar doesn’t go there, it’s just used in the Babar world,” he explained. “This time for the new book, I really wanted to have some magic, because in all the other Babar books there is no magic really, it’s very real the life they have. That’s why I wanted a magician. And since I like birds, this magician is a bird, a Succotash bird. In fact my wife (writer, Phyllis Rose) invented it. I had only some noise for him, and she said, oh, it sounds like succotash! I thought it was very funny and thought it was a very good idea.” The release of the new book will mark several important milestones in de Brunhoff’s work and life. The man behind Babar turns 75 in August, and a switch in publishers will bring the reissuing of all Laurent’s classic Babar stories, some of which have also been turned into an animated series for HBO. Laurent admits that going seven years without another Babar story has been unusual for him, but it has given him time to concentrate on other artistic pursuits as well as traveling and hiking, particularly in the American West. “I really wanted to put the elephant a little bit on the side and spend more time with my old painting,” he said. “I like to do abstract watercolors. I like the medium of watercolors but I like to do some large paintings, which are abstract; even if they are inspired by the sea and the sky, they are abstract. I started to learn how to paint in an academy in Paris and I switched very early to abstract painting in the ’50s. I showed my paintings at that time on different occasions, but after 10 or 15 years I was so busy with the books it was too difficult to keep the two worlds together, and little by little I dropped painting. It’s hardly 10 years ago I started again to paint, and I must say I’m happy with that.” At a show for his abstract paintings a few years back at the Mary Ryan Gallery on 57th Street in New York, (where the original artwork for the new book will be exhibited this fall) Laurent said it was amusing to see the reactions of people who anticipated that his works would mirror the Babar stories. “It was well received I must say; still people are expecting me to draw elephants so they are a bit surprised when they see these abstract paintings.” Laurent said the idea for the new book came to him quickly during a time when he had been hiking and camping in the High Sierras of Yosemite National Park. “Suddenly I had an idea for this book, and it was very fast, it came very strongly in my mind, very precisely. Some pictures you will see the landscape is inspired by the American West, some of the canyon lands, and some of Yosemite,” he said.

Today Laurent’s family consists of a son, daughter, and grandson who live in Paris, as well as his two brothers whom he is very close to, and his beloved mother, Cecile, the original creator of the character of Babar 70 years ago. Like Laurent and his brothers, his children grew up with Babar, yet as far as his children continuing the Babar legacy, Laurent says the experience has been different for them. “You know I was 12 years old when my father died, so there was this emptiness . . . we missed Babar. But I’m still alive, and they’ve already started their own lives. So I don’t think suddenly, when I am no longer on this world, they will take over.” Regardless, the release of Babar and the Succotash Bird, subsequent reissuing of the Babar backlist, HBO animated series, and other promotional campaigns currently in the works continue to share a family gift sure to endure for generations.

Change. It’s hard to deal with at any age, but it is especially difficult for young children. In Shadow, by Jill Newsome, Rosy and her family move to a new house, far from her friends, her school, and everything familiar. Suddenly her world is turned upside down. In fact, life becomes pretty miserable for poor Rosy. Any child in a turbulent situation can empathize: sometimes everything feels just plain wrong, which can make for a cranky existence. Fortunately this state of misery never lasts forever. For Rosy, things start to look up when she walks home from school one snowy day and finds an injured rabbit in the woods. She and her family adopt the rabbit and nurse it back to health. It quickly becomes Rosy’s first new friend, following her everywhere and earning it the name Shadow. But life is never easy, and no good story is that simple. One day Shadow disappears, and Rosy is again distraught until a girl from her new school brings Shadow home in a box. Now Rosy has a second new friend to play with, and life is a lot more, well, rosy! Shadow is extremely effective in its simplicity. In very few words, Newsome is able to communicate the pain of childhood loneliness and sadness. Her lyrical text is nicely complemented by the watercolor illustrations of her husband, Claudio Munoz, who has illustrated several children’s books including Man Mountain, Little Captain, and Come Back Grandma. Munoz’s stormy paintings deftly convey the anger and fear Rosy feels towards her strange new world, and later her pleasure in companionship. With such sparse text, Munoz’s pictures are essential to the overall mood of the book. Shadow reminds us all that change is indeed scary, but that with time and patience things ultimately work out in the end. Rosy learns that once you make new friends, life is a lot less threatening. These are simple truisms, but valuable ones that apply to children of all ages.

Lisa Horak is a freelance writer and full-time mother.

Just in time for the school season, Kevin Henkes introduces a sweet mouse-child about to face the first grade in Wemberly Worried. The master of memorable mice characters, Henkes also gave us the much-loved Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, a children’s classic that won an ABBY Award.

The opposite of the energetic, outgoing Lilly, Wemberly is Henkes’s creation of a delicate and sensitive young mouse who worries about everything. Nothing is too big or too small to escape Wemberly’s worry. Day and night she worries. In bed, on the playground, or in the car, Wemberly worries. But by far her biggest worry is starting school. With the momentous first day looming, a multitude of new worries fills Wemberly. And this time the list of “what if’s” is a mile long.

Broaching a serious topic, Henkes explains Wemberly’s fears in a way children can relate to; he finds the sensitive spots that traumatize most children and deftly relates them with a touch of humor in his text and illustrations. And it’s his humor and eye for detail that make this serious story fun, including a rollerblading Grandma who espouses, “Worry, worry, worry. Too much worry.” Finally, the big day arrives. A caring teacher introduces Wemberly to another young mouse, who also happens to be wearing stripes and holding a doll. Wemberly’s worries aren’t cured instantly, but she and her new friend can’t wait for the second day of school.

With his colorful illustrations, Henkes creates a sweet, fragile little girl in Wemberly. His artwork isn’t just pleasing to look at, it conveys just as much as the text. Henkes communicates a wealth of emotion with facial expressions in the sharp drawings. You can see the hesitation in Wemberly’s eyes and the distress in her tiny frame.

Until they create a first grader’s version of How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, stick with Wemberly to help your youngsters address their fears about starting school.

Tia loves music. But as a young African-American girl living in the deep South in the early 1900s, she has neither the opportunity nor the means to pursue her dream of creating it. One day, as she passes a house in the “white” part of town, she hears a lovely new kind of music, different from the blues guitar she’s grown up with the sweet notes of a piano. “It made Tia think of castles, mountains, and deep snow. The music took her away from the hot, dry town.” Tia so longs to hear more of it that she takes a job as a maid for the kind, elderly Miss Hartwell who lives in that music-filled house. William Miller’s wise and gentle words convey to the reader the power of music to soothe the human soul and transport us from our mundane lives to the land of our dreams. While listening to the piano’s melodies, Tia forgets her lot in life and escapes from her dreary, work-weary world. Music treats everyone the same and cannot distinguish between colors or ages. It treats everyone who embraces it like royalty.

Susan Keeter’s wonderful illustrations in mostly cool pastel colors seem to blend and soften the contrast between the “white world” and the “black world.” The most memorable image is that of Miss Hartwell’s white hands and Tia’s black ones resting together, in harmony, on the white and black piano keys. The illustrations truly bring this charming story to life.

Miller has given us a touching tale of how music transcends all social barriers and forms connections between very different people. Tia and Miss Hartwell have little else in common besides a love for music, yet somehow that’s enough to form a true friendship.

Carolyn Cates lives and writes in Nashville.

Some children’s books are written to entertain. Others are written to educate in an entertaining manner. Rainy Day falls in the latter category.

Written by a journalist who specializes in children’s books, Rainy Day has a simple theme: Children can have meaningful relationships with fathers who no longer live in the home. The book describes the experiences of a young boy visiting with his father on a rainy day. They romp together in the rain, explore a wooded park, then visit a seashore, where giant waves pound in all about them. Toward the end of their visit, the rain stops and the sun breaks through the clouds, allowing sea gulls to fill the air. The message is simple: Rainy days aren’t so bad. And they don’t last forever. Incredibly, the father and son depicted in the book bear a remarkable resemblance to Cuban Juan Miguel Gonzalez and his son Elian. That is a coincidence, of course, since the artwork was completed long before the Gonzalez family made news around the world as a symbol of paternal rights, but it does get your attention.

Illustrator Angelo Rinaldi does an excellent job with the artwork, although its grainy, soft-focus images seem to target adults more than children. Where Rinaldi truly excels is in his depictions of the physical interactions between father and son. There is lots of hugging and hand holding and playful roughhousing. Obviously, Rinaldi understands that young children are far better able to remember their parents’ physical gestures toward them than their spoken words. With children, a single loving gesture is worth a thousand words or any number of expensive toys. Children who read the book will probably pick up on this message faster than their parents.

Written for children ages five to eight, this book is highly recommended for households experiencing divorce or separation.

Before becoming an author of books for adults, James L. Dickerson worked for seven years as a social worker in a child protection agency. He is a divorced father of a son.

Hanukkah is the Jewish holiday most visible to non-Jews. Usually occurring near Christmas, it gets quite a lot of attention simply because of a coincidence of the calendar. One positive result of Hanukkah’s increasing commercialism is a feast of new books fiction and nonfiction for all ages. The publishing industry gives adults no excuse not to give at least one new book to children during the eight-day holiday.

Festival of Lights is a particularly valuable offering. It’s the story of Hanukkah, plain and simple its origins and significance told in concise, action-filled language. Colorful, detailed, and spirited pictures are balanced with just the right amount of text on each page, which sustains the interest of readers and listeners. The main story, of course, is the Maccabee victory over Greek oppressors, and the miracle of the cruse of oil that burned for eight days instead of one. Following this are explanations of the menorah and dreidel legends, simple instructions for making and playing with dreidels, and music for one of the traditional holiday songs: a Rock of Ages (Ma-oz Tzur).

Such merits make the book an ideal introduction to the holiday for non-readers and readers up to age eight. It can form the cornerstone of a family holiday library, re-focus a burgeoning Hanukkah collection, or serve as the festival’s literary representative for schools and churches. First published in 1987, the re-issue of Festival of Lights happily makes it available to new audiences. Making history and legend entertaining and memorable, it is a pleasant reminder of the real reason for the season.