“The Little Prince,” is children’s chapter book full appeal for children and adults alike, and it also happens to be my favorite book of all time! It was originally written in French in 1943 by WWII pilot Antione de Saint-Exupéry. It’s revered as a classic and is the most translated French work, now in more than 250 languages and dialects.
The story revolves around a pilot who crash-lands in the middle of the desert only to mysteriously meet a strange little boy, a little prince. The boy tells the pilot about his journey getting to the desert; he explains why he left his home on a tiny asteroid, the planets he’s visited, the people he’s met along the way and the lessons he’s learned.
The little prince and the many other characters that inhabit the world are bursting with charm. There’s a king who thinks he rules the universe but has no subjects, a man who believes he is the richest and most handsome man on his planet and many other quirky characters.
“The Little Prince” is filled to the brim with insightful symbolism that only adults would pick up on. The commentary on the joys in life that are often lost in the transition from childhood to adulthood is thought-provoking. I believe this book to be a masterpiece, and I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from it:
“Here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
