It may be a little harsh to say that one should burn Babar, although I do agree that much of the book should be censored and more sensitive, leaning more towards the book’s demographics. Although superficially delightful, when Babar is read more profoundly the reality is revealed and many instances may shock the storyteller. Although the child would probably not realize the references at such a young age, he still has processed his information and it will automatically be stored in his subconscious and un-knowingly effect his daily life as he grows older. The two main things that should be banned is the importance of money and the racial inferences. I do not feel that it is necessary for the masterpiece to get banned, rather I feel that after a few edits, Babar can be the perfect book accompanying a good nights sleep. Despite the fact that Babar may seem like an elephant who seems naked, in a world of wealth, if ones looks into the book more deeply, there are much negative ideals that can be unveiled. First, when Babar crossed the boarder of the jungle to the French City Babar immediately gazed at “the gentleman across the street” and realized that he, himself, wanted nice clothes. This situation displays why one may want Jean de Brunhoff to edit his novel. First, when Babar sees the men and he automatically calls them “gentleman.” Calling someone a gentleman gives off a strong impression that the person is on a higher level than you. Babar just arrived from the jungle and had no money, but viewed the visually wealthy men on the street as a higher level then him. Babar clearly felt his lack of power and called the men gentleman. Second, Babar then ran into a rich old lady, who somehow knew Babar wanted a nice suit. This lady always loved “Little elephants,” so she decided to give Babar her purse. “Thank you Madam,” said Babar. The power of money is displayed twice in this books scene. First, the wealthy lady called Babar a “Little Elephant,” implying that she is bigger than Babar, not in a physical sense, but signifying her higher class, coincidentally Babar responded by calling her a Madam indicating his knowledge of the old lady higher class. Third, when Babar returned back to the jungle, he was declared king. Not because his knowledge of the jungle, rather because he was rich and developed a character that none of the other animals had ever seen before. There was a very interesting moment in the book when there was a group of animals peacefully walking around in a circle. From the weakest to the strongest animals everyone on the page seemed like they had the same amount of power. This in fact was true, everyone was on the same social level except Babar. Babar brought the power of money to the jungle and being at the top was not a judgement of physical strength anymore, it became a question of who had the most money and Babar surely became the strongest. Money was definitely a big part to this novel and it made many wonder if their children should ever see the text of this book. In the beggining Babar was just a normal naked elephant, but as time went on and the importance of money grew, the shame of his nakedness grew. Money does not stop growing and to many, including Babar, it is the most important thing in the world. Money is power. This book shows that anything is possible with money, but to explain that to children at such a young age is ridiculous. As Oscar Wilde Mentioned, “When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is.” Another large part of Babar that parents and readers have recognized is Jean de Brunhoff’s clear implementation of racism. First, In the beginning of the book a true sense of racism is displayed. While Babar was taking a walk with his mother, she is suddenly shot by a man dressed in all white. This outfit that the man was wearing
