Classic of the Month: The Little Prince

This month's classic is a famous children's book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. It is not only a tale for children, but for adults as well. I only read it in the last year. I thought it was a beautiful book, and since the film version, which we'll talk about later, is coming out I thought this would be a great choice.

The Little Prince

The story is told by a pilot who crashes in the desert. There he meets the little prince. The pilot tries to fix his plane while the prince tells him his story. He comes from a small planet with three volcanoes, two extinct and one alive, and a rose. She's always telling him stories about other worlds. He decided to go see them for himself. The little prince traveled from planet to planet, talking to the people that live on them. Eventually he made his way to Earth. Now he wants to return to his planet. The pilot and the prince set out to look for water. By the well they find, the prince meets a snake. It offers to return him to his planet. The prince accepts, but he must leave his body behind.

What I Like About It

This is a story about children versus adults. The way grown-ups are portrayed shows them to be silly and strange. The little prince brings fresh light to the world. He sees things differently and I love it.

It is a sweet story. The prince is so innocent and adorable. The pilot, even though we never learn his name, is a man who lost his dream of being an artist  because of grown-ups. It's short, but it makes a point. It shows the world as seen through the eyes of a child.

Adaptations

The book we got had the audio book included, read by Viggo Mortensen. You may remember him as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings. I suggest it, if you like audio books. He does a great job of it.

And like I mentioned earlier, the movie version. It had an unusual journey to viewers. It was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and then released in France. It was set to release in the United States in March but was dropped without a reason. However, it is being released on Netflix on August 5 (today!).

It's supposed to be a great movie and I can't wait to see it. The cast includes Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, James Franco, Ricky Gervais, and Paul Rudd. The story is about a little girl who meets the pilot when he's much older. He tells her about the little prince and his story, opening her eyes.

Have you read The Little Prince? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments.