Babar's First Step

Based on the Babar characters created by Laurent de Brunhoff, this wonderful picture book sprung to life tells the story of the birth of that benevolent elephant ruler, Babar. Similar to Bambi in theme, Babar's First Step pits man against beast, as the baby elephant's herd desperately tries to escape the lethal weapons of the hunter. In a poignant scene, Babar's mother is killed while trying to flee, and the young Babar becomes a grieving orphan. When the hunter once again threatens, however, Babar transforms his mourning into action, and bravely distracts the hunter while the herd escapes to safety. Babar's First Step is an excellent and affordably priced children's video that is nicely animated, contains valuable insights for children on the importance of individuality, and features a strong central character who is well developed--not a cardboard cutout of an excuse to sell toys. (Available from most distributors.)