Jean de Brunhoff

French author

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 22, 2026

Quick Summary

Jean de Brunhoff was a French author and illustrator, best known for creating the beloved character Babar, the sartorially splendid elephant. The first Babar book, L'Histoire de Babar, le petit éléphant (1931), tells the story of an orphaned elephant who flees the jungle for Paris, eventually returning to become king. This popular tale launched a series of books, with his son Laurent de Brunhoff continuing the adventures after Jean's death. The Babar books have been translated into many languages and remain popular worldwide, though they have also faced criticism regarding themes of colonialism.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Babar
…the French writer and illustrator Jean de Brunhoff (1899–1937) and his son Laurent de Brunhoff (1925–2024).
Read More
…the French writer and illustrator Jean de Brunhoff (1899–1937) and his son Laurent de Brunhoff (1925–2024).
Read More

children’s literature
Overview
The first was Jean de Brunhoff’s. Equally talented as author and artist, in 1931 he gave the world that enlightened monarch Babar the Elephant, one of the dozen or so immortal characters in children’s literature. The next year saw the start of Paul Faucher’s admirable Père Castor series,…
Read More
The first was Jean de Brunhoff’s. Equally talented as author and artist, in 1931 he gave the world that enlightened monarch Babar the Elephant, one of the dozen or so immortal characters in children’s literature. The next year saw the start of Paul Faucher’s admirable Père Castor series,…
Read More