Histoire de Babar le petit elephant. [The Story of Babar the Little Elephant].

First edition of the first book in de Brunhoff’s Babar the Elephant series in the original French; from the library of Maurice Sendak, although not marked. Folio, original half cloth over pictorial boards, pictorial endpapers, illustrated. In good condition with rubbing to the boards and light toning throughout. Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are, is often hailed as “the Picasso of children’s books.” He has produced more than 85 books which have populated children’s imaginations for years. For his contributions to children’s literature, Sendak received the third biennial Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration in 1970, one of two inaugural Astrid Lindgren Memorial Awards in 2003, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the professional children’s librarians in 1983. An exceptional association linking these two giants of children's literature.