Babar, Harry Potter et Cie. Livres d'enfants d'hier et d'aujourd'hui (review)

France

"Literature is a river," contends French children's book author Geneviève Brisac in her introductory remarks to this volume accompanying the exhibition, "Babar, Harry Potter and Co. Yesterday's and today's children's books," which traces the various currents and developments in children's literature. Inspired by the donation of the original illustrations of three "Babar" editions by the Brunhoff family in 2005, and the incorporation of the French National Centre for Children's Literature, La joie par les livres ("The joy of reading" founded in 1963), and its huge collection in January 2008, the Bibliothèque Nationale prepared and hosted this exhibition from October 2008 until April 2009. Intelligently using multimedia components and drawing on their own rich collections, loans from public institutions, such as the oldest French children's library Bibliothèque de l'heure joyeuse, and from private collections, the curators succeeded in creating a highly informative and entertaining experience for both young and old. The exhibition featured original editions from four centuries, manuscripts of children's book classics, numerous original illustrations, children's magazines, posters, and movies. The accompanying volume is more than a mere exhibition catalogue and well deserves to become a standard work on French children's literature. The thorough individual contributions not only examine the developments of French children's literature and its genres, ranging from ABC books and toy books to nonfiction literature and young adult novels. It also looks beyond the confines of traditional literary history to include children's literature and education, for example, or film adaptations of children's books. Finally, this sizable book – both in volume and scope – will enthrall readers thanks to its perspicuous structure, reader-friendly design, and generous amount of illustrative material.