Skip to main content

The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupéry



Brief synopsis (no spoilers)The author, an aviator, crashes with his aeroplane in the middle of the Sahara desert. While he is trying to repair his aeroplane, a little boy appears and asks him to draw a sheep. The author learns that The Little Prince comes from asteroid B-612 where he has left behind three volcanoes and a rose.
Before reaching Earth, he has visited other planets and met some very odd people: a king, a conceited man, a drunkard, a lamplighter, a geographer…  Since arriving on Earth, he has spoken to a fox who has taught him that to know someone or something, you must « tame » them, and that makes them unique. « What is essential is invisible to the eye, says the fox. »
*Spoiler (kind of) below*
In order to return to his planet and his rose, The Little Prince allows himself to be bitten by a poisonous snake: his planet is too far away, he cannot take his « shell ». The aviator, who has succeeded in repairing his plane, also quits the desert. He still hopes The Little Prince will return one day and asks us to write and tell him if ever we should meet his friend. (www.thelittleprince.com)

Category: "If Saint-Exupéry is to be believed The Little Prince is a book for children written for grown-ups. It can be read on many different levels to provide pleasure and food for thought for readers of all ages." (www.thelittleprince.com) 

I had a hard time deciding if I should fill out the kids book summary or an adult book summary, but ultimately I decided because of subject manner I decided it should go in the adult category. 

Why I chose this book: It was on a list of 25 books everyone should read. 

My personal opinion (the review): I thought this book was stupid. It tried to be a moral tale about how adults are too serious and focus on the wrong things, but for me it really missed the point. I only finished it because it was short and because I kept hoping it would get better. Maybe, as the book would suggest, I'm one of the grown ups who will never "understand how such a thing could be so important." 

Warnings: None

Movie rating equivalent: PG

Protagonist description: The Little Prince comes from a different planet (an asteroid actually). He comes to earth on his journey of visiting different planets. As he visits these different planets he often says, "Grown-ups are so strange" because he doesn't understand why the characters are doing what they do. He mostly annoyed me as a character. 

Point of view of story: Third Person

Book length: Short

Story flow: Fluid

Grammar and spelling issues: None, but it was easy to tell it was translated from French into English.

Character connection (no spoilers) None. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

Summary: Every book needs you to turn the pages. But not every book needs you to tap it, shake it, jiggle it, or even blow it a kiss. Innovative and timeless, Tap the Magic Tree asks you to help one lonely tree change with the seasons. It begins with a bare brown tree. But tap that tree, turn the page, and one bright green leaf has sprouted! Tap again—one, two, three, four—and four more leaves have grown on the next page. Pat, clap, wiggle, jiggle, and see blossoms bloom, apples grow, and the leaves swirl away with the autumn breeze. (Amazon) Attention Span/reading level: Perfect for my three year old. I would say that ages 2-10 would really enjoy something like this. It really keeps kids engaged and makes them feel like part of the story. There is one word to one sentence per page. Good uses for book in teaching: Interaction, that the reader takes part in making the story, what a tree can do (leaves, blossoms, fruit) Favorite part:      Child: The fact that ...

Balancing Act by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Summary: Two mice make a teeter totter. Soon a frog comes along and wants to join. Can the mice balance all the friends who want to play with them? Attention Span/reading level: 3-6 years old, usually 5 or less words on a page Good uses for book in teaching: Balance, science Favorite part:      Child: When the frog joins in     Mine: That the mice keep playing at the end  Least favorite part: None:   W arnings/negative feedback: None.  Review: This is a really simple but fun way to introduce the idea of balancing and weight to kids. It's fun to show them how it must be equal on each side to balance. Showing that size can affect weight is shown on the page where all the animals are on one side with the big bird on the other. This could be a fun activity to replicate with toys if doing a science lesson at home. 

The Mystwick School of Musicraft by Jessica Khoury

Brief synopsis (no spoilers):  " Amelia Jones has always dreamed of attending the Mystwick School of Musicraft, where the world’s most promising musicians learn to create magic. But then she botches her audition and her dream comes to an abrupt and humiliating end—until the school agrees to give her a trial period. Amelia is determined to prove herself, vowing to do whatever it takes to become the perfect musician. Even if it means pretending to be someone she isn't. ​ Between a teacher who really dislikes her and a roommate who wants to see her expelled, life at Mystwick is harder than Amelia thought it would be. And that’s not even counting the mysterious something that’s starting to make the teachers worry. When supernatural powers threaten the school, can Amelia find the courage to be true to her herself, save Mystwick, and prove once and for all where she belongs?" Author's webpage Category: Middle Grades/J Fic. Why I chose this book: Free on Audible My personal ...