Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Babar's USA
Picture Book Series
For ages 5 to 7
Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2008 ISBN: 978-0810970960
Many years ago, Babar went to visit America, where he met the President of the United States and saw many wonderful things. Now Babar’s friends, Wendy and Doug, have invited him to visit them in New York. This time he is taking his family, his cousin Arthur, his friend General Cornelius, and Zephir the monkey. Zephir will take pictures of the places that the elephants visit.
The elephants are warmly greeted by Wendy and Doug, and after a good rest, the travelers head out to explore New York City. Everywhere they go, Zephir (and sometimes Celeste and Cornelius) takes photos using Wendy’s digital camera. Zephir is a very good photographer, and he captures some wonderful images of the family exploring Times Square, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, and other interesting places in the city.
The children like New York so much that they don’t want to leave, but Celeste explains that there are many other places in the United States to see. The children soon discover how right she is when they go to the Grand Canyon, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other places. The children play a game called “Observations” when they are in San Francisco, and they discuss what is unique about the United States and the American people.
Babar fans are sure to enjoy this special title in which photographs of places in the United States and illustrations of Babar, his family, and his friends are cleverly merged to give readers a unique book experience. Readers will be able to tour over forty places in the United States with the travelers, seeing what they see, and reading about their experiences and their observations.
