The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant

The story

In the great forest, a little elephant is born. His name is Babar.

His mother loves him very much. When it is time for him to sleep, she rocks him gently with her trunk and sings him a quiet song.

Babar grows quickly. Before long, he is playing with the other young elephants. He is friendly, curious and always ready for fun. He digs holes in the sand with a shell and races between the trees with his friends.

One day, Babar goes for a ride on his mother's back. They are walking peacefully through the forest when a hunter suddenly appears from behind a bush.

There is a loud bang.

Babar's mom falls down. She doesn't get up again. Babar is heartbroken. But the hunter is coming after him, so he has to run away.

Babar runs as fast as he can. He runs past trees, over hills and through tall grass. After several days, tired and all alone, he reaches a big city.

He can hardly believe his eyes. He has never seen so many houses. There are wide streets, cars and buses. People hurry back and forth.

Most of all, Babar is amazed by two smartly dressed gentlemen.

“They look wonderful,” he thinks. “I would like clothes like that too. But how can I get them?”

Luckily, a wealthy old lady notices him. She is very fond of little elephants and immediately understands what Babar is looking at. Because she wants to help him, she gives him her purse.

“Thank you,” says Babar politely.

Without wasting a minute, he goes to a large department store. There he discovers the elevator. He enjoys going up and down so much that he rides it to the top ten times and back down ten times.

He is just about to take another ride when the elevator attendant says, “This is not a toy, Mr Elephant. You must get out now and buy what you need.”

Babar chooses a shirt with a collar and a tie. Then he finds a beautiful green suit, a bowler hat and a pair of smart shoes.

He is so pleased with his new clothes that he goes straight to a photographer and has a very grand portrait taken.

That evening, Babar has dinner with the old lady. She thinks he looks very elegant in his new suit. After dinner, he is so tired that he falls asleep almost at once.

From that day on, Babar lives with the old lady.

Every morning, they exercise together, and then Babar takes a bath. The old lady buys him a red car, and every day he drives around the city.

A clever teacher gives him lessons. Babar listens carefully, asks lots of questions and learns quickly. He learns to read and count, and discovers how people live in the city.

In the evenings, he tells the old lady's friends about the great forest, his family and the other elephants.

Even so, Babar is not completely happy. He misses his little cousins, his friends and the monkeys in the forest. Sometimes he stands by the window and thinks about the past. At those moments, he misses his mother most of all.

Two years pass.

One day, Babar is driving through the city when he sees two young elephants coming towards him. They are not wearing any clothes and they are staring curiously at everything around them.

“Why, it is Arthur and Celeste!” cries Babar. “My cousin and my little cousin!”

He hugs them and takes them straight to a shop. Arthur and Celeste get beautiful clothes too. Then they visit a bakery and eat delicious cakes.

Meanwhile, the elephants in the forest are searching everywhere for Arthur and Celeste. Their mothers are very worried. Luckily, an old marabou has spotted the two young elephants in the city from high in the sky. He flies back quickly to tell everyone.

The mothers come to collect their children. They are overjoyed to find them, but they are also angry that Arthur and Celeste ran away without telling anyone.

Babar decides to return to the great forest with them. Together with the old lady, he packs his suitcase.

When everything is ready, Babar says goodbye to his dear friend. It is hard to leave her, but he promises that he will come back. He will never forget her.

Then they set off. Babar, Arthur and Celeste sit in the red car. There is no room left for the two mothers, so they run behind it. They hold their trunks high in the air to keep the dust from the road out of their noses.

The old lady is left behind. Sadly, she wonders, “When will I see my little Babar again?”

That same day, something sad happens in the land of the elephants. The old king accidentally eats a poisonous mushroom. He becomes very ill and dies.

After the funeral, the oldest elephants gather together. They must choose a new king.

At that exact moment, they hear an engine in the distance. Everyone turns to look.

There is Babar in his red car, with Arthur and Celeste beside him. All the elephants rush to meet them.

“They are back!” they cry. “Welcome, Babar! Welcome, Arthur and Celeste! What beautiful clothes! And what a wonderful car!”

Then Cornelius steps forward. He is the oldest and wisest elephant.

“Dear friends,” he says in a trembling voice, “we are looking for a new king. Why not choose Babar? He has lived in the city and learned many things there. Let us give him the crown.”

All the elephants agree that Cornelius is right. They wait eagerly for Babar's answer.

“Thank you,” says Babar. “But before I say yes, I must tell you something. During our journey, Celeste and I became engaged. If I become your king, she will become your queen.”

“Long live Queen Celeste! Long live King Babar!” cry the elephants.

And so Babar becomes king.

He appoints Cornelius as his most important adviser. Then he announces that he will marry Celeste in eight days. There will be a great celebration for both their wedding and the coronation.

The birds fly out to invite all the animals. A dromedary travels to the city to collect clothes for the celebration.

On the great day, guests arrive from every direction. Babar and Celeste are married and receive their crowns. Afterwards, everyone dances far into the night.

When the celebration is over and the stars are shining above them, King Babar and Queen Celeste sit quietly together. They are tired, but very happy.

The next day, they leave for their honeymoon in a magnificent yellow balloon.

They have no idea how many adventures are waiting for them.