"Babar" author Laurent de Brunhoff, who revived his father's popular picture book series about an elephant-king and presided over its rise to a global, multimedia franchise, has died. He was 98.

MIDDLETOWN, CT — "Babar" heir and author Laurent de Brunhoff, a former Connecticut resident who revived his father's beloved picture book series about an elephant king, died Friday. He was 98.

The de Brunhoff family has reserved certain publishing rights, which will allow Laurent de Brunhoff to continue publishing his own Babar books with Abrams, Hachette, and other publishers around the ...