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The Little Prince
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Read The Little Prince

The Little Prince (1943) (edit title/settings)

by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Author, Illustrator) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Few stories are as widely read and as universally cherished by children and adults alike. Richard Howard's new translation of the beloved classic-published to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's birth-beautifully reflects Saint-Exupery's unique and gifted style.... read more

Summary edit see section history

The narrator begins with a reminiscence of his childhood, which then segues into an explanation of why he is a pilot, and consequently, why he has now crashed in a North African desert. While fixing his plane, he is approached by a young boy who has apparently appeared guardian-less from... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

The narrator begins with a reminiscence of his childhood, which then segues into an explanation of why he is a pilot, and consequently, why he has now crashed in a North African desert. While fixing his plane, he is approached by a young boy who has apparently appeared guardian-less from nowhere. He introduces himself as the prince of a very small planet on which are three small volcanoes and a flower. This child, through a series of tales recounting his adventures and new acquaintances as he traveled from planet to planet, and then on earth, helps the narrator recover the sensitivity and playful literalism of his own childhood. But once the Prince's aims have been achieved, he must return to one of his new earthly acquaintances, a snake, to aid him in returning to his world. He must shed his earthly body by dying, an action about which the Prince seems entirely sanguine, but which affects the narrator deeply. The narrator then deals with the death of his little friend by using the philosophies about friendship and transcendence that the boy has taught him.

Characters/People edit see section history

  • El Principito: Un pequeño príncipe que vino a la Tierra desde otro planeta. Es el personaje principal del libro.
  • The King: King of a small planet without anyone to rule.
  • The Conceited Man: He hears only compliments and thinks about him self.
  • The Drunkard/Tippler: He is caught in a vicious circle: he drinks to forget about being an alcoholic.
  • The Businessman: he thinks he owns all the stars. and has nothing to do except keep recounting the stars.
  • The Lamplighter: With a job that seems ridiculous, he is actually loyal to his post. He demonstrates the folly of blind loyalty to a pointless task. He is the only one who appreciates what he has in life.
  • The Geographer: He is the sixth character the Little Prince meets before landing on earth. He is reliant on adventurers to tell him what the world is like.
  • The fox: Tamed by the Little Prince. States the themes of the book. Shows the importance of friends.
  • El Principito: Narrator.
  • Antoine De Saint-Exupery: The book is told from the author's point of view. Antoine meets the Little Prince when his plane crashes in the desert and was stranded
  • The Rose: A flower who the Little Prince cared for.
  • The Astronomer: Add a description of this character.
  • The signalman: The signal man on earth gives signals to trains to pass through the station. Only he sees that the children are the ones who enjoy the journey.
  • The Snake: Encounters the Little Prince on Earth.
Show all 14 characters
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
    The fox
  • “The stars are beautiful, because of a flower that cannot be seen.”
    The Little Prince
  • “But I have made him my friend, and now he is unique in all the world.”
    The Little Prince
  • “If some one loves a flower, of which just one single blossom grows in all the millions and millions of stars, it is enough to make him happy just to look at the stars. He can say to himself: 'Somewhere, my flower is there . . .' But if the sheep eats the flower, in one moment all his stars will be darkened . . . And you think that is not important!”
    The Little Prince
  • “To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world...”
    The fox
  • “What moves me so deeply, about this sleeping prince...is his loyalty to a flower—the image of a rose shining within him like a flame within a lamp, even when he's asleep. And I realized he was even more fragile than I had thought. Lamps must be protected. A gust of wind can blow them out.”
    The narrator
  • “If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom with flowers.”
    The Little Prince
  • “It is such a secret place, the land of tears.”
    The narrator
  • “If, for example, you come at four o'clock in the afternoon, then at three o'clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o'clock, I shall already be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am!”
    The fox
  • “Well, I must endure the presence of two or three caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies. It seems that they are very beautiful.”
    The Little Prince's flower
  • “All grown-ups were children first. (But few remember it).”
  • “Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is exhausting for children to have to provide explanations over and over again.”
  • “I have lived a great deal among grown-ups. I have seen them intimately, close at hand. And that hasn’t much improved my opinion of them.”
  • “Draw me a sheep.”
    The Little Prince
  • “Straight ahead, you can't go very far.”
    The Little Prince
  • “I should never have listened to her," he confided to me one day, "One should never listen to the flowers. One should simply look at them and breathe their fragrance.”
    The Little Prince
  • “One must endure the presence of two or three caterpillars if one wishes to become acquainted with the butterflies.”
  • “It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself rightly, then you are indeed a man of true wisdom.”
    the king on the first planet visited by the prince
  • “Conceited people never hear anything but praise.”
    The vain man on the second planet visited by the prince
  • “I am drinking," replied the tippler, with a lugubrious air. "Why are you drinking?" demanded the little prince. "So that I may forget," replied the tippler. "Forget what?" inquired the little prince, who already was sorry for him. "Forget that I am ashamed," the tippler confessed, hanging his head. "Ashamed of what?" insisted the little prince, who wanted to help him. "Ashamed of drinking!" The tippler brought his speech to an end, and shut himself up in an impregnable silence.”
    the drunkard on the third planet visited by the prince
  • “Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friendship anymore.”
    Fox
  • “Language is the source of misunderstandings.”
    the fox
  • “Voici mon secret. Il est tres simple: on ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux. Here is my secret. It is very simple: one sees clearly only with the heart. The essential is invisible to the eyes. Só se vê bem com o coração, o essencial é invisível aos olhos”
    Le Renard -- The Fox
  • “He fell gently, the way a tree falls. There wasn't even a sound...”
    The Little Prince
  • “Tu te tornas eternamente responsável por aquilo que cativa (You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.)”
  • “What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well.”
    the prince
  • “Foi o tempo que dedicastes à tua rosa que fez tua rosa tão importantet It was the time you have given to your rose that makes your rose so important.”
    the fox
  • “But the eyes are blind. One must look with the heart...”
    the prince
Show all 28 quotes from this book

Setting & Locations edit see section history

The Prince's own planet with its own volcanoes (one is extinct) and a solitary rose

First Sentence edit see section history

Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called "True Stories From Nature," about the primeval forest.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Chapter I - XXVII (numbered)

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 92 of 95 in Telegraph Top 100 Books, 2008. (authoritative list)
This is book 59 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 53 of 194 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2010). (authoritative list)
This is book 57 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 48 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2010). (authoritative list)
This book is in Biblioteka Vjeverica (Mladost, Zagreb). (publisher series)
This book is in Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read. (authoritative list)
This is book 4 of 99 in Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century. (authoritative list)
This is book 180 of 200 in BBC 'Big Read' Top 200 Novels, 2003. (authoritative list)
This is book 574 of 1286 in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. (authoritative list)
This is book 481 of 986 in 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. (authoritative list)
This book is in 100 Fantabulous Book Challenge. (community list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Author)
  2. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Illustrator)

Other Contributors:

  1. Irene Testot-Ferry (Translator)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: French
Publisher: Gallimard
Country: France
Publication Date: 1943
ISBN: 978-1461190462
Page Count: 113

Awards edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PQ2637 .A274 P41
  • Dewey: 843.912

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

This is a classic; good for all ages, young kids might not understand the theme of the book.

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

Movie Connections edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • The Little Prince
  • The Little Prince Graphic Novel
  • A Guide for Grown-ups
  • Wind, Sand and Stars
  • The Return Of The Little Prince

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history

   
  • A Guide for Grown-ups

Books Influenced by This Book edit see section history

   
  • Black Dossier

Books That Cite This Book edit see section history

   
  • When Women Were Birds

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