cover image Babar's Little Girl

Babar's Little Girl

Laurent de Brunhoff. Random House Books for Young Readers, $11 (30pp) ISBN 978-0-394-88689-3

Beloved King Babar and his Queen Celeste have a new addition to the familylittle Isabelle. This is her story, an account of her birth, cradle days, sitting-at-the-dining-table days, walking days, skating days and then running away. She wanders to Blue Valley, crosses the river to the house on the hill where she is welcomed by two gentleman, Boover and Picardee. But after Isabelle sees her father Babar on TV, pleading for her to come back home, her friends fly her home in their hang gliders. This is like any family storyof more interest to surrounding relatives than the world at large. But some readers will want to meet Isabelle and renew friendship with characters from the other, better Babar stories. Ages 48. (April)