Laurent de Brunhoff, the French author and illustrator known for the "Babar" children's books, died in the US state of Florida at the age of 98. De Brunhoff wrote around 20 volumes of the children's book series; his father Jean had previously written seven volumes.
The stories of the little elephant Babar have sold millions of copies and been translated into dozens of languages. Even Charles de Gaulle was a fan of elephants because they conveyed “a certain idea of France”