The Little Prince

Lore & Background

The book begins with the narrator recalling his first drawing as a six-year-old of a boa constrictor that had eaten an elephant, which adults mistook for a hat. As an adult pilot, his plane crashes in the Sahara desert, where he meets the little prince. He visited six other planets, each inhabited by a single adult: a king, a conceited man, a tippler, a businessman, a lamplighter, and a geographer. The geographer advised him to visit Earth.

Reader's Guide

Despite its style as a children's book, it makes observations about life, adults, and human nature. The story has been adapted to numerous art forms and media, including audio recordings, radio plays, live stage, film, television, ballet, and opera. Its enduring legacy lies in its exploration of love, loss, and the importance of seeing with the heart, as taught by the fox: 'important things can only be seen with the heart, not the eyes.'

Did You Know?

• Saint-Exupéry's works had been banned by the Vichy Regime.
• The book has been adapted into audio recordings, radio plays, live stage, film, television, ballet, and opera.