The Little Prince
I was lucky to find a beautifully illustrated copy of ‘the Little Prince’ on sale not long ago. I tried reading another edition of this classic tale a while back with my kids, but I felt the translation from the original wasn’t the best, and so I decided to search for a better version. Boy, was I in luck.
“If someone loves a flower, only one of which exists among millions and millions of stars, looking at it is enough to make him happy. And he can say to himself: “My flower is out there somewhere’. But were the sheep to eat the flower, it would be for him as if all the stars should grow dark at once!”
The Little Prince
This volume of The Little Prince, from the original masterpiece by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry and with illustrations by Manuela Adreani, has been such a joy for both the kids and I to read. I bet those that have read this this classic and timeless tale in their own childhood have fond memories of it. It truly is such a lovely book to share with your children.
“Men have different kinds of stars. For some, those who travel, the stars serve as guides. For others, they are nothing but tiny lights. For yet others, who are learned, they are problems. For my businessman, they were gold. But all these stars are silent. You – you will have stars such as no one else possesses…”
The Little Prince
It is beautifully poetic, full of symbolism and is packed with moral stories and so with every character we meet on this magic voyage, there is so much to question and discuss. I’ve loved chatting with the kids, about the peculiar characters that the little prince describes meeting, on his voyage through the universe and comparing them to our current time; our own lives and our values. I love how the book rightfully compares the inflexibly of the adult mind with that of the open-minded child and seen through the eyes of the little prince, you cannot but agree with the narrator who writes
“Grown-ups never understand anything on their own, and constantly explaining things really wears children out.”
“Men,” said the little prince, “cram into express trains, but they no longer know what they are seeking. They get upset, and circle round and round…” And he added: “It’s not worth the trouble.”
The little prince
The illustrations are gorgeous, whimsical and certainly a work of art. They add extra magic to what is in it’s own right a magic story and they carry the story beautifully.
“What does ‘domesticated’ mean?”
“It’s something that has been forgotten by many. It means ‘to establish ties’…”
“Establish ties?”
“Exactly,” said the fox. “For the moment you’re just a little boy to me, like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I don’t need you. Nor do you need me. To you I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you domesticate me, then we will need one another. You will be unique for me, and I will be unique for you.”
THE LITTLE PRINCE
This edition of the Little Prince is published by White Star Kids. I am always on the look-out for White Star Kids’ children publications, as I love their fabulously illustrated books.
Whether you can find this particular illustrated copy or perhaps another, I highly recommend you give yourself the gift it is to read it with your kids, your nieces and nephews, your grandkids or your students and if none of those are around just read it anyway because you’re worth it.
There is so much symbolism to think about and discuss in this story. If you read it with a younger child, it is a lot to take in and that is exactly why I wanted to read an illustrated edition with my kids. But, regardless of illustrations, the tale is wonderful and it is one you can return to again and again, as I don’t think you can ever get too old for this book. It was the first time I read it but it definitely won’t be the last. Oh, and I shall certainly add to my wish list a blue pyjamas with red fireflies, just like that of the Little Prince..
