This is a delightful, Moominesque, all-ages book, published by Humanoids in 2019.
I daresay it's the kind of work that smaller kids and zen-philosophers might both enjoy. Or just a middle-aged bloke such as myself. :D
These cartoons actually date to the early 80's I believe, but remarkably, still seem fresh in a way utterly removed from 'cutting-edge' comics.
If I understand correctly, Coudray originally produced ~four volumes. Humanoids has published about three translations, each at ~100 pages.
"...They're a lot of fun and well worth a read for those looking for something lighter, humorous, and visually appealing. And, yeah, the gags are pretty timeless. Good stuff!" -- Augie De Blieck
Bigby / Barnabé is also part of a small series published under Humanoids' BIG imprint, meant for kids and all-ages readers.
Side note: if you're a beginning language learner, these books published in different languages are pretty great. By comparison, many other series, such as Astérix, Lucky Luke and Tintin, are generally too complex for beginners IMO.
Ha! My daughters used to read it when they were 6 or 7. It's absolutely surreal half of the time, but in a way that both children (because it's weird and goofy) and adults (because it's deep yet goofy) can enjoy. Sometimes children understand it better than adults, it's quite bizarre.
I wonder what kind of drugs the author used to take though.