Here is a lovely interview with Laurent de Brunhof about the origins of Babar and the latest book in the series.  Yoga for Elephants!

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/08/12/books/review/100000000995072/babar-at-80.html?WT.mc_id=VI-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M215-ROS-0811-HDR&WT.mc_ev=click

Below you will find a link to my favorite analysis of the Babar stories:  Adam Gopnik reads the first installment in the series as an allegory of French colonialism and its “civilizing” effects.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/09/22/080922fa_fact_gopnik