The Little Prince
by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (translation)

Guide Rating -

Le Petit Prince is the wonderfully touching and creative story of a man who meets an extraordinary boy and relearns what it means to be a child. It is a French classic in children's literature, suitable for about ages 9 to 12, although the whimsical drawings will also appeal to younger children. It is an excellent book for beginning-to-intermediate French students as well as for anyone who is tired of acting like « une grande personne ».

When the narrator's plane goes down in an African desert, he fears for his life. He has only enough water for eight days, and there are no mechanics or stores in this uninhabited land. While struggling to repair the machine on his own, he meets a very unusual child with a somewhat unusual request. For eight days, the boy tells his remarkable story: where he is from, what his life was like there, why he left his own tiny planet to visit the Earth, and what he thinks of the flowers, snakes, foxes, and big people he met along the way. The narrator can do nothing but feel more and more awed by and protective of this young boy. The little prince reminds the narrator—and the reader—of the joy of seeing the world through a child's eyes, even when you are all grown up. You are only limited by your own imagination.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is the renowned author of Vol de Nuit (Night Flight) and, fun fact, is on the 50 franc note.