Babar's Celesteville Games

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Babar's children have all grown up. He and Celeste take them to the Celesteville Games. All the best animal athletes will be there to compete. Babar's daughter Flora falls in love with a young athlete, Corriander, from the country of Mirza. They decide to marry and all of Celesteville is invited.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Olympics-style games have come to Celesteville, and Babar's children ("now grown up") watch various animals compete. When an elephant pole vaulter from Mirza catches Flora's eye, the games become a backdrop for their courtship. Though Flora and Cory come from different cultures, Babar declares: "I think it is love.... And I think it will be good for all of us." De Brunhoff incorporates modern details into his gentle, ink-outlined watercolors: Flora meets Cory's parents via video chat, and when Cory arranges for a skywritten proposal ("Flora, marry me"), the self-assured Flora inquires, "Is that a question or an order?" The athletic, romantic, and cross-cultural themes make this an unusual but satisfying addition to the beloved series. All ages. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Book Review

From a franchise as sturdy as an elephant's memory comes explicit international goodwill.Celesteville is hosting the Worldwide Games, and animals arrive "from all over" to compete. Babar's children, "now grown up," watch the athletes in warm-ups, practices and matches. Pom and Isabelle enjoy the swimming and diving: Elephants, hippos and a big cat (lioness perhaps?) power gracefully though a pool in neat lanes; next, an elephant dives off a springboard, the illustration showing five sequential positions in the somersault. Flora and Alexander prefer track and field and gymnastics ("Who would have thought that hippos were almost as good at the high bar as elephants?"). Watching, Flora falls in love with pole-vaulter Coriander, an athlete from a foreign land. Here the story segues into a gentle cultural acceptance lesson: Flora's mother Celeste must adjust to Cory's "small ears," a trait of his Mirzi nationality, and Cory's parents must accept that he didn't choose "a girl from Mirza." Flora roots for Mirza in the sporting events, which concerns Celeste until Babar reassures her, "I think it is love. And I think it will be good for all of us." The wedding takes places in Celesteville but with Mirzi clothing and customs, an agreement that pleases everyone.Modernized only minimally (texting!), the book's appeal lies in these calmingly recognizable characters participating in Olympic sports and a mixed marriage. (Picture book. 4-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.