Babar's USA

"Babar's USA" features the adorable pachyderm Babar who along with Celeste, take their family on a visit to the United States where they explore the various regions. Illustrations of Babar and company are superimposed on actual photographs of places in New York such as Central Park, the Grand Canyon, Hollywood in Los Angeles, Venice Beach, San Francisco, Florida, etc. This makes a really fun and educational read for young children - as Babar and his family go on a visit around the US, they discover not only the natural beauty of the various regions in the United States, and the differences between them, but also appreciate the rich diversity of the people living in the United States. The language used is simple and easy to understand, clearly defining words like "diversity' within the context of the story. The photographs are beautiful and the illustrations are delightful. A great way to get young children interested in geography.

I grew up with Babar and I bought this book for my two-year old to introduce him to Babar. It's a neat book because pictures of Babar and his family are overlaid on actual photographs of various tourist destinations around the country. The only not so great thing about this book is the odd philosophical monologues from Cornelius about the American people. Way over my son's head and I imagine any child under the age of 12.

My kids and I love this book. I love the charming story and lovely photographs, and I'm betting that my kids will look forward to finding out more about each location. This will hopefully inspire a fascination with geography and build some research skills. We can read the story, find them on the globe, and Google and visit the library for the kiddie version of deep background. We had a staycation this year, but in our minds we can take the grand tour, United States style.

Babar the Elephant books by Laurent de Brunhoff have captured a wide imagination, and this new reprint of a classic gives librarians the ability to replace or acquire aging classics with nice new hardcovers. Zephir's photos compliment BABAR'S USA, telling of Babar and Celeste invited by friends in New York to tour the city - and an expanded tour of the country too. The sightseeing journey which emerges traverses the country in this fun survey.