From Publishers Weekly
Babar narrates this lighthearted guide to yoga for pachyderms (and people). He begins by explaining that archeologists working in a cave near Celesteville recently discovered ancient drawings revealing that woolly mammoths not only practiced yoga they invented it. Since then, yoga has become "tremendously popular" in Babar's hometown; it "helps us all to relax and draw strength from our inner elephant." In straightforward prose, this thoroughly relaxed elephant outlines yoga movements, stretches and exercises to improve balance and to strengthen the back and stomach. (Yoga lovers will recognize his opening Salutation to the Sun, and all that follow, as the real McCoy.) Though these instructions include playful touches (at one point Babar notes, "I find wrapping my trunk around my feet helps to stretch"), aspiring yoga practitioners can easily follow de Brunhoff's directives and imitate the movements in his signature watercolor renderings of the earnest narrator. A comical concluding sequence of pages shows Babar and pals putting their yoga positions to the test as they stretch in the airport during a delay, relax on the median at Times Square or imitate landmarks (e.g., a Head Stand in the Place de la Concorde next to the obelisk; a Standing Head to Knee in Venice's Piazza San Marco). This diverting volume conveys de Brunhoff's passion for his subject both the star and his practice. All ages.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4-Babar confides that even elephants experience stress in their day-to-day living, and a little yoga, it seems, goes a long way in providing comfort and relaxation. In fact, the book starts out by revealing that little clay cylinders found in a cave near Celesteville prove that elephants invented yoga. This find was authenticated at the National Library, where elephants, together with human yoga experts, "discovered that all of the poses depicted on the seals are still practiced today." Spreads feature instructional text on one side, with Babar illustrating the poses on the other. After introducing yoga to Celesteville, Babar and Celeste go on a worldwide jaunt where they practice their favorite yoga positions in front of famous landmarks. The Proud Warrior is demonstrated in front of the Eiffel Tower, the Bridge is practiced in front of the Half Dome in Yosemite, and, because "the traffic in Times Square is terrible," the Lotus position returns Babar's and Celeste's minds to Celesteville. While the art style is reminiscent of the original books, the colors are far more subdued. A note at the end reminds children that "this book is intended for elephants interested in yoga," and that "humans and other animals should consult books written specifically with them in mind." The book includes a large, removable poster. Babar's Yoga would be useful for larger collections needing information on the subject.Lisa Gangemi Kropp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NYCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Gr. 2-4. Although this new Babar book is nonfiction, it has more in common with the 1930s stories about the elephant than with some of the more recent additions to Babar's legacy. Archaeologists in Celesteville have determined that elephants invented yoga, and the discovery begins a yoga craze. Most of the book consists of Babar's step-by-step descriptions and demonstrations of yoga poses. A brief note in tiny print placed at the back of the book explains that the exercises are "intended for elephants" and that humans should consult other books and see a doctor before beginning practice. Unfortunately, the message is destined to go unnoticed by children, who will probably want to dive right in and try the positions, some of which (like a headstand) are inappropriate for unsupervised kids. A clearer more prominently placed note should have been included. That said, recommend this with reservations: it's a fun introduction to a subject not often treated in picture books, but it's best used when an adult is nearby. A pull-out poster is included. Marta Segal
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
Well before yoga became fashionable via Sting and Madonna, the beloved elephant king Babar and all the residents of Celesteville were finding peace and tranquillity through yoga. And now elephants everywhere can join them! Through easy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step illustrations, Babar's Yoga for Elephants presents 15 positions and stretches as well as helpful breathing exercises. The book also provides useful advice on what to do with your trunk while in position, a dilemma that human yoga books often ignore. Written by Babar himself, the book explains how yoga was introduced to Celesteville and how he and Queen Celeste keep fit doing yoga on their many travels. Including a pull-out poster showing Babar in yoga poses, Babar's Yoga for Elephants is sure to become a classic for elephants as well as their human friends.


Card catalog description
Babar the elephant demonstrates and provides step-by-step instructions for basic yoga techniques and positions, then shows how he and Celeste use them to relax and have fun as they travel around the world.


About the Author
Laurent de Brunhoff has kept the spirit of Babar and his family alive for more than 50 years. He practices yoga every day. He and his wife, author Phyllis Rose, divide their time among Key West, New York City, and Connecticut.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Like many other health- and tranquility-minded elephants, Babar practices yoga. In this delightful exercise book, Babar presents 15 positions and stretches that even humans can perform. A great way to relieve the stresses of life in the jungle.

ANNOTATION

Babar the elephant demonstrates and provides step-by-step instructions for basic yoga techniques and positions, then shows how he and Celeste use them to relax and have fun as they travel around the world.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Well before yoga became fashionable via Sting and Madonna, our friend Babar and all the residents of Celesteville were finding peace and tranquillity through yoga. And now elephants everywhere can join them! Through easy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step illustrations, Babar's Yoga for Elephants presents 15 positions and stretches as well as helpful breathing exercises. The book also provides useful advice on what to do with your trunk while in position, a dilemma that human yoga books often ignore.

Written by Babar himself, the book explains how yoga was introduced to Celesteville and how he and Celeste keep fit doing yoga on their many travels. Babar's Yoga for Elephants is sure to become a classic for elephants as well as their human friends.

FROM THE CRITICS

The New Yorker

Celebrity yoga has become its own industry, generating magazine covers, fashion lines, and now books. Christy Turlington, the limber supermodel and yoga-clothing designer, ambitiously combines memoir, historical survey, and instruction manual in Living Yoga. "I discovered that I could be graceful and agile and could hold my balance in challenging poses, both as a model and as a yogi," she writes. Two of Turlington's instructors, Sharon Gannon and David Life, showcase their own form in The Art of Yoga, in which philosophical aphorisms accompany glossy black-and-white photographs of seemingly impossible positions: in Dwi Pada Sirsasana, Life balances on his hands, hovering inches off the floor with ankles crossed neatly behind his head.

Mariel Hemingway doesn't claim great feats of contortion in her memoir, Finding My Balance, but she credits yoga with sorting out her turbulent life. The suicide of her famous grandfather looms large, along with her mother's cancer, one sister's mental illness, the other's addiction, and Hemingway's own obsessive-compulsive behaviors. She writes, "I no longer feel a helpless victim of my family's strange interactions and flawed genetic pool."

Even nonhuman celebrities have joined the act, albeit with less emphasis on spiritual redemption. Laurent de Brunhoff's Babar's Yoga for Elephants traces yoga back to prehistoric elephants (who, contrary to human custom, practiced with shoes on). The elephant king and his queen, Celeste, travel the world mimicking man-made structures with their asanas: "The Golden Gate Bridge? Two elephants doing the Cobra." (Andrea Thompson)

Publishers Weekly

Childhood fans of Jean de Brunhoff's Babar the Elephant stories and yoga practitioners will find a happy confluence in Babar's Yoga for Elephants by his son, Laurent de Brunhoff. Author of a number of previous books that continue Babar's adventures, de Brunhoff's passion for yoga practice is infectious as he draws Babar starting his day with the Salutation to the Sun (with complete step-by-step instructions and the pachyderm demonstrating each position) and other stretches and breathing exercises. Humorous touches make the most of the elephant's anatomy ("I find wrapping my trunk around my feet helps to stretch"), and a series of pages show Babar and friends emulating landmarks while practicing various positions (e.g., a Downward-Facing Dog in front of I.M. Pei's pyramid at the Louvre). A poster of the pachyderm pulls out of the inside back cover.

School Library Journal