The Little Prince Book Review

This week's book I'm reviewing is called The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint Exupery. The story starts with a narrator guiding us about his childhood.

My Book of The Little Prince

He reads a book about the wonders of nature and goes to a chapter about Boa Constrictors. He decided to draw a Boa Constrictor that swallowed an elephant. He showed it to some grownups and asked them if they’re terrified. Much to his surprise, they answered, “Terrified? Why would we be terrified of a hat?” He made another drawing and this time they gave him the advice to lay aside his drawings and devote himself to geography instead. 

And rather than following them, he grew up and became a pilot. One day however he had an accident flying his plane and crashed in the Sahara desert. And that’s where we are today. 

He was all alone and he decided to go to sleep. In the morning, however, he is awakened by a voice saying, “If you please draw me a sheep!” 

He got up and to his surprise, the voice came from no ordinary man at all! It came from a very tiny man pleading for a sheep. He obeys and draws a sheep. The man complained that the sheep look too sickly and need a healthy one. He drew another. The little man complained again that the drawing is not a sheep but a ram. He drew another only to be judged again about how odd-looking his drawing is. The narrator then tosses off the drawings and gives him a box instead, telling him that the sheep he wanted is inside. The young judge was delighted. And that is how he met the little prince. 

The Little Prince, The Flower, and His Planet

The prince told many stories that he lives on a very small planet and plants called Baobabs appear out of nowhere. It was described by the prince that if you are not careful it might populate the whole planet and the prince was very wary of these plants. Whenever they appear on the prince’s planet, he would dig them out as soon as he can. To make it easier however he needed a sheep.  

One day a seed that was blown from the wind came into his planet. He studied it carefully thinking that it might be a baobab. It grew into a shrub and then it stopped growing, then bit by bit it began to bloom into a beautiful flower! The prince has never seen any flower like it. So he decided he would care for it. But as he was caring for it, the flower was also tormenting him with its pride. 

One day the prince left, leaving the flower behind and he's now regretting it. He left the flower on his planet which only had four thorns to protect herself. The prince traveled to a lot of planets and met other people. Then he finally found earth and met a fox. 

The fox wanted the prince to train him. The prince obeyed and when it's time for the prince to leave, the fox tells him a little secret. He said, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

The Little Prince and His Sheep

Once he left the fox he met more people, including the narrator. Then one day came when our narrator saw the prince sitting on a high wall, talking to a snake. He then catches the prince as the snake leaves and asks why the prince was talking to a snake. The prince told him that he wanted to go back home. The prince decided to get bitten by the snake so that he can go home easily. He didn't want the narrator to see him leave so he won't be sad. Before he went he told the narrator, “In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them, I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing when you look at the sky at night… you and only you will have stars that can laugh!”

The time came for his departure. As the prince got bitten, he didn't cry out, he just fell silently in the night. The next morning the narrator believes that the prince did leave since he couldn't find his body. Now when he looks up at the night sky. He remembers the prince and his lovely laugh as he laughs at himself. 

I've learned a valuable lesson from reading this story. Remember what the fox said? That exact quote saying “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye." It means that when we care or love, it should be meaningful and we have to spend every special moment with them. This is a quote I may never forget. It is like telling me that I should spend more meaningful time with my family and friends.