Brunhoff, Jean de

Brunhoff, Jean de (zhäN du brü'nôf) [key], 1899–1937, French author and illustrator of children's books, b. Paris. He wrote and illustrated The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant (1932), the tale of a kind, gentle, elegantly attired elephant king in the Edwardian mold. Babar, in fear for himself and his family, flees the jungle and comes to live in Paris. The book was a great success, becoming a children's classic, and de Brunhoff followed it with The Travels of Babar (1934) and a number of other charmingly illustrated books. His son, Laurent de Brunhoff. (lôräN') [key], 1925–, has continued the Babar series.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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