Feb 2-8 - Children Authors and Illustrators Week- International: Let Us Read - The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The Little Prince 

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

For day 2 of Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week, we are bringing in the one and only Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. A multi-talented person, Antoine belonged to an aristocratic French family. He was fond of aviation since childhood. His love for it permeated his story The Little Prince, and other works such as Night Flight.

The Little Prince is a story of an aircraft pilot who is stranded in a desert. Here he meets a prince from another planet and forms a bond so strong it stays with him long after he is out of the desert. Now, we would love to tell you the entire story, but that would not serve our purpose, which is to encourage you, dear reader, to read. 

You have to immerse yourself in the novella yourself in order to understand why it has stood the test of time and is still circulated worldwide in more than 250 languages and dialects.

The illustrations in this book are done by Antoine himself. The most interesting part is, instead of accompanying the story, these illustrations actually carry the narrative forward. 

Written in a somber tone, the story will carry you until the end and when you will be done with it, you will realize you are more hopeful than before.

Written for his best friend, Leon Werth, whom he mentions on the dedication page, this story is for adults who have lost their childlike curiosity on the way, and for children who are yet to grow up. I hope our children never grow up in a sense, I hope they retain their hope and faith in this world.