Paul Berna facts for kids

Jean-Marie-Edmond Sabran (born February 21, 1908, in Hyères, France – died January 19, 1994, in Paris) was a French writer. He is best known by his pen name, Paul Berna. His exciting children's books were very popular and were published in many countries, including Britain and the United States.

About Paul Berna

Before becoming a full-time writer, Paul Berna worked for a local newspaper. He first published several books using his real name. But starting in 1952, he began writing children's books under the name Paul Berna.

His children's books were published by Rouge et Or, a company where his brother, Guy Sabran, worked as an illustrator. The two brothers worked together on some books, like Zoupette en camping, Les Contes des mille et une nuits, and Nous irons à Lunaterra.

His Most Famous Story

Paul Berna's most famous book is Le Cheval sans tête, which means The Headless Horse. In English, it is usually known as A Hundred Million Francs. This book came out in 1955.

The story is about a group of street kids from the poor areas of Paris. They have a special toy: a headless horse on wheels. This toy accidentally becomes a secret hiding place for money stolen by train robbers! The book was translated into many languages and became very popular in Britain and the United States.

In 1963, Disney Studios in Britain made the book into a movie called The Horse Without a Head: The 100,000,000 Franc Train Robbery.

Other Books and Pseudonyms

Another one of Paul Berna's books, The Mystery of the Cross-eyed Man, was read on the popular British TV show Jackanory in 1968 by actor Keith Barron.

Paul Berna also wrote science fiction novels. His most well-known science fiction books are La Porte des étoiles (which means Threshold of the Stars) and its follow-up, Le Continent du Ciel (Continent in the Sky).

He used different pen names for his other types of books. For adult novels, he wrote as Bernard Deleuze and Paul Gerrard. For detective stories, he used the name Joel Audrenn.

Personal Life

In 1958, Jean Sabran (Paul Berna) married Jany Saint-Marcoux. She was also an author who wrote children's books for the same publisher, Rouge et Or. Later in his life, Paul Berna became blind.

Books Translated into English

Here are some of Paul Berna's books that were translated into English:

• Threshold of the Stars (original title: La Porte des étoiles), 1954
• Continent in the Sky (original title: Le Continent du ciel), 1955
• A Hundred Million Francs (original title: Le Cheval sans tête), 1955
• The Street Musician (original title: Le Piano à bretelle), 1956
• The Knights of King Midas (original title: Millionnaires en herbe), 1958
• Flood Warning (original title: La Grande Alerte), 1960
• The Mystery of Saint Salgue (original title: La Piste du souvenir), 1962
• The Clue of the Black Cat (original title: Le Témoignage du chat noir), 1963
• The Mystery of the Cross-Eyed Man (original title: Les Pèlerins de Chiberta), 1965
• Magpie Corner (original title: Le Carrefour de la Pie), 1966
• The Mule on the Motorway or The Mule on the Expressway (original title: Le Commissaire Sinet et le mystère de l'autoroute du sud), 1967
• A Truckload of Rice (original title: Le Commissaire Sinet et le mystère des poissons rouges), 1968
• The Secret of the Missing Boat (original title: L'Epave de la Bérénice), 1969
• They Didn't Come Back (original title: Un Pays sans légende), 1969
• Myna Bird Mystery (original title: L'Opération oiseau-noir), 1970
• Gaby and the New Money Fraud (original title: Le Bout du monde), 1971
• Vagabonds of the Pacific (original title: Les Vagabonds du Pacifique ), 1973
• The Vagabonds Ashore (original title: La Grande Rallye de Mirabal), 1973

Books as Bernard Deleuze

• Vagabond of the Andes (original title: Vagabond des Andes) (1953)
• The Vengeance of Don Manuel (1953)