I first read this book fifteen years ago as part of a college course requirement. It has stayed with me since then, and I have given both of my sons a copy of their own. I have read it several times since then and would say that it is a book everyone should read, as a child and then again as an adult.
Helpful Score: 4
This is my very favorite book, which says quite a bit. The book is very metaphorical (and quite quotable).
Helpful Score: 3
one of my favourite books of all time
Helpful Score: 3
A wonderful classic. Look deeper than the surface story and you'll find treasure.
Helpful Score: 3
delightful
Helpful Score: 2
Heartbreakingly beautiful book. On the surface, it's a story of a prince from a small planet. Digging deeper, you find a metaphor for faith, friendship, trust, death...so many levels of meaning from such a small book.
The first time I read this was at age 12 and it was the first time I cried while reading a book. To this day, it's hard for me to read the end without getting misty. At that time, I just saw the basic story, but as an adult, I realized there is so much more than the story of a lost prince.
The simple pictures accompany the story very well; it's hard to imagine The Little Prince without blond hair and sparkling eyes.
Good for older children and inquisitive adults.
The first time I read this was at age 12 and it was the first time I cried while reading a book. To this day, it's hard for me to read the end without getting misty. At that time, I just saw the basic story, but as an adult, I realized there is so much more than the story of a lost prince.
The simple pictures accompany the story very well; it's hard to imagine The Little Prince without blond hair and sparkling eyes.
Good for older children and inquisitive adults.
Helpful Score: 2
One of my all-time favorites ... much reflection, tenderness and magic.
Helpful Score: 1
The content is inspirational -- to care for the small things right next to us is our life's task.... charming.
Helpful Score: 1
As a senior in high school this book was shared with me as one that was good for college applications in need of a reading piece. It is a simple book with a good message and an interesting story. Worth reading, it is a quick and will not take but a day to finish it, but a long time to remember its wisdom.
"The Little Prince" is much more than a children's book. In my opinion, it's actually much easier to understand as a grown-up.
The Little Prince would resent my saying that.
In this delicately written, fable-like tale, there is a little Prince who one day falls to Earth from a far-away planet, and meets a grown-up. Like all grown-ups, this one just doesn't understand anything. So the Little Prince explains it to him: how to count stars, why roses have thorns, and what it means to be loved. As he teaches the grown-up - a pilot stranded in the desert - about life, he offers bits of wisdom and poignant quotes that will resonate long after you finish the book. "It is such a secret place, the Land of Tears," he says regarding weeping.
Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, "The Little Prince" is a cherished classic that deserves a small space on your bookshelf.
The Little Prince would resent my saying that.
In this delicately written, fable-like tale, there is a little Prince who one day falls to Earth from a far-away planet, and meets a grown-up. Like all grown-ups, this one just doesn't understand anything. So the Little Prince explains it to him: how to count stars, why roses have thorns, and what it means to be loved. As he teaches the grown-up - a pilot stranded in the desert - about life, he offers bits of wisdom and poignant quotes that will resonate long after you finish the book. "It is such a secret place, the Land of Tears," he says regarding weeping.
Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, "The Little Prince" is a cherished classic that deserves a small space on your bookshelf.
Helpful Score: 1
This is the new translation. The perfect fairy tale for grown ups.
Helpful Score: 1
A perfect, charming tale. One of my all time favourites.
Helpful Score: 1
i saw the opera and then i ahd to read this book. it is a amazing book but it is a little cmplicated and very deep.
Helpful Score: 1
A lovely poetic story for children.
Ive had this book around for ages and never read it. I finally sat down with my 5 yr old son and started reading this. I thought it was an interesting read, but my son thought it was incredibly boring...so I ended up finishing it on my own.
The story is about a Little Prince who ends up stranded in the desert with a man whose plane has crashed there. The Little Prince tells the man about the little planet he calls home. Then he talks about the journey he took to get to Earth through a variety of different planets, each one inhabited by someone more silly than the last planet.
The book basically is using all these different planets as a way to look at the strange things adults do. For example one planet is inhabited by a drunkard (which wasnt all that easy to explain to a 5 yr old), one is inhabited by a businessman, and one is inhabited by a vain man. The whole book basically looks at the things we do as adults (business, vanity, amassing power) and at how silly that looks to a child and at how small these goals are in relation to the whole world and life.
Its a decent story but one of those that is so very obviously packed with additional messages that you can tell its more of a social commentary than a fantasy story. Which is fine. As a childrens book though it left a bit to be desired. The pacing is very slow and many of the things discussed were things my son didnt understand. For example drunkards and vanity. It did give us a chance to discuss these things.
Initially my son was intrigued by the idea of the Little Prince traveling to so many planets, but as time went on even he realized this was more of a social commentary than a story. It got to the point where even he was all like, Oh so now this planet is about someone who is selfish. He got what the book was doing, but after he learned that each planet wasnt a cool new place but instead another example of adult foolishness his attention started to wander and I ended up reading the last twenty pages or so on my own.
The illustrations are well done and match the tone of the story well. The story is decent but obviously meant more as a social commentary than as a fantasy story.
Overall this is a decent read, but not something I would read again. Its more of a social commentary than a fantasy story, even my 5 year old recognized this. The pacing is fairly slow as well. The book has aged okay over the years but some of the terminology was out of date and I had to explain it to my 5 year old. This is one of those classics that is interesting to read, but I didnt necessarily find it all that enjoyable of a read.
The story is about a Little Prince who ends up stranded in the desert with a man whose plane has crashed there. The Little Prince tells the man about the little planet he calls home. Then he talks about the journey he took to get to Earth through a variety of different planets, each one inhabited by someone more silly than the last planet.
The book basically is using all these different planets as a way to look at the strange things adults do. For example one planet is inhabited by a drunkard (which wasnt all that easy to explain to a 5 yr old), one is inhabited by a businessman, and one is inhabited by a vain man. The whole book basically looks at the things we do as adults (business, vanity, amassing power) and at how silly that looks to a child and at how small these goals are in relation to the whole world and life.
Its a decent story but one of those that is so very obviously packed with additional messages that you can tell its more of a social commentary than a fantasy story. Which is fine. As a childrens book though it left a bit to be desired. The pacing is very slow and many of the things discussed were things my son didnt understand. For example drunkards and vanity. It did give us a chance to discuss these things.
Initially my son was intrigued by the idea of the Little Prince traveling to so many planets, but as time went on even he realized this was more of a social commentary than a story. It got to the point where even he was all like, Oh so now this planet is about someone who is selfish. He got what the book was doing, but after he learned that each planet wasnt a cool new place but instead another example of adult foolishness his attention started to wander and I ended up reading the last twenty pages or so on my own.
The illustrations are well done and match the tone of the story well. The story is decent but obviously meant more as a social commentary than as a fantasy story.
Overall this is a decent read, but not something I would read again. Its more of a social commentary than a fantasy story, even my 5 year old recognized this. The pacing is fairly slow as well. The book has aged okay over the years but some of the terminology was out of date and I had to explain it to my 5 year old. This is one of those classics that is interesting to read, but I didnt necessarily find it all that enjoyable of a read.
Every body should read this book. it is one of the most imaginative and emotional children's books I've ever read. The imagery is beautiful, the message is simple, but the means are fantastic! Every time I read it, I feel like my eyes are opened a little bit more. This book goes to show that there are some things that are best told from a child's point of view.
Excellent book with great lessons. Perhaps a bit dated, but makes it all the more fun to explore.
This is a book that I think everyone should read. It's a short but wonderful story, full of humor and wisdom. The Little Prince will change the way you see the stars...
A wonderful classic
Just wonderful.
I heard that this was one of James Dean's favorite books, that's why I read and enjoyed it.
A classic!
This is one of the most charming and heartfelt books I've ever read. I hope that someday it is a story that my future children will know and love.
This is not my review but a review from Amazon. I received this as a gift (15.99 on Amazon) and had not read it but here is the review.
Amazon.com Review
This is not a children's book. The work is, in fact, far too tragic for younger children, even if they don't grasp all of the imagery presented in the story. The ending is simply too difficult to try to explain to small children.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry first published The Little Prince in 1943, only a year before his Lockheed P-38 vanished over the Mediterranean during a reconnaissance mission. More than a half century later, this fable of love and loneliness has lost none of its power. The narrator is a downed pilot in the Sahara Desert, frantically trying to repair his wrecked plane. His efforts are interrupted one day by the apparition of a little, well, prince, who asks him to draw a sheep. "In the face of an overpowering mystery, you don't dare disobey," the narrator recalls. "Absurd as it seemed, a thousand miles from all inhabited regions and in danger of death, I took a scrap of paper and a pen out of my pocket." And so begins their dialogue, which stretches the narrator's imagination in all sorts of surprising, childlike directions.
The Little Prince describes his journey from planet to planet, each tiny world populated by a single adult. It's a wonderfully inventive sequence, which evokes not only the great fairy tales but also such monuments of postmodern whimsy as Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities. And despite his tone of gentle bemusement, Saint-Exupéry pulls off some fine satiric touches, too. There's the king, for example, who commands the Little Prince to function as a one-man (or one-boy) judiciary:
Amazon.com Review
This is not a children's book. The work is, in fact, far too tragic for younger children, even if they don't grasp all of the imagery presented in the story. The ending is simply too difficult to try to explain to small children.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry first published The Little Prince in 1943, only a year before his Lockheed P-38 vanished over the Mediterranean during a reconnaissance mission. More than a half century later, this fable of love and loneliness has lost none of its power. The narrator is a downed pilot in the Sahara Desert, frantically trying to repair his wrecked plane. His efforts are interrupted one day by the apparition of a little, well, prince, who asks him to draw a sheep. "In the face of an overpowering mystery, you don't dare disobey," the narrator recalls. "Absurd as it seemed, a thousand miles from all inhabited regions and in danger of death, I took a scrap of paper and a pen out of my pocket." And so begins their dialogue, which stretches the narrator's imagination in all sorts of surprising, childlike directions.
The Little Prince describes his journey from planet to planet, each tiny world populated by a single adult. It's a wonderfully inventive sequence, which evokes not only the great fairy tales but also such monuments of postmodern whimsy as Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities. And despite his tone of gentle bemusement, Saint-Exupéry pulls off some fine satiric touches, too. There's the king, for example, who commands the Little Prince to function as a one-man (or one-boy) judiciary:
This is a paperback edition.
Good read about a young boy's adventures
From the back of the book:
"No story is more beloved by children and grown-ups alike than this wise, enchanting fable. One day, the author reminisces, when his plane was forced down in the Sahara, a thousand miles from help, he encountered a most extraordinary small person. 'If you please,' said the stranger, 'draw me a sheep.' And thus begins the remarkable history of the Little Prince.
The Little Prince lived alone on a tiny planet no larger than a house. He owned three volcanoes, two active and one extinct. He also owned a flower, unlike any flower in all the galaxy, of great beauty and of inordinate pride. It was this pride that ruined the serenity of the Little Prince's world and started him on the interplanetary travels that brought him to Earth, where he learned, finally, from a fox, the secret of what is really important in life.
There are a few stories that in some way, in some degree, change the world forever for their readers. This is one."
"No story is more beloved by children and grown-ups alike than this wise, enchanting fable. One day, the author reminisces, when his plane was forced down in the Sahara, a thousand miles from help, he encountered a most extraordinary small person. 'If you please,' said the stranger, 'draw me a sheep.' And thus begins the remarkable history of the Little Prince.
The Little Prince lived alone on a tiny planet no larger than a house. He owned three volcanoes, two active and one extinct. He also owned a flower, unlike any flower in all the galaxy, of great beauty and of inordinate pride. It was this pride that ruined the serenity of the Little Prince's world and started him on the interplanetary travels that brought him to Earth, where he learned, finally, from a fox, the secret of what is really important in life.
There are a few stories that in some way, in some degree, change the world forever for their readers. This is one."
Nice to have the english version when reading the French version.
In the dedication, the author states, all grown-ups were once childrenalthough few of them remember it. Perhaps I might have enjoyed this story a lot more had I read it at a much younger age, but this does not come across as a childs book to me at all. Its a bit depressing. With that said, the book was not all creepy. Greatest takeaway: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.
The Little Prince is a beautiful and timeless classic. It is a book that transcends the age of the reader. It is a book for everyone, except for those who will not allow themselves to be "tamed". Message of book is to simplify your life. All that the little Prince had on his planet was a flower and three mountains and he was extraordinarily happy. "What is essential is invisible to the eye, it is only with the heart that we can see clearly." I would highly recommend reading this book - it has the power to impact your life immensely.
Very inspirational. A must read for all!
Everyone should read this book before they die!
The Little Prince lived alone on a tiny planet no larger than a house. He possessed three volcanoes, two active and one extinct, although one never knows about volcanoes. He also owned a flower, unlike any flower in all the galaxy, of great beauty and of inordinate pride. It was this pride that ruined the serenity of the Little Prince's world and started him on the travels that brought him at last to the Earth where he learned finally, from a fox, the secret of what is really important in life.
A pilot stranded in the desert awakes one morning to see, standing before him, the most extraordinary little fellow. " Please," asks the stranger, "draw me a sheep," And the pilot realizes that when life's events are too difficult to understand, there is no choice but to succumb to their mysteries.
Cover wear. Light stain first few pages at top. Pages to read are fine.
