The mysteries of this sweet and searching book continue to amaze, nearly 60 years since its original publication by the equally mysterious pilot/inventor/author/illustrator, Antoine de Saint-Exupery -- his career ended in 1944 when his reconnaissance aircraft disappeared over the Mediterranean, pursued by a German fighter plane. For those of us who first read the fable in French, the translation may bring up more questions than it answers about the elliptical text, but the experience of re-reading it is immensely satisfying nonetheless. One of the most delightful aspects of this new translation is the addition of the restored original artwork, simple yet evocative sketches and watercolour paintings of a soulful little boy with big, curious eyes and tousled blond hair, and wonderful thumbnail drawings that punctuate the text on almost every page.

The narrator his unlikely tale with an explanation of his failed career as an artist because adults failed to see the meaning in his sketch of an elephant inside a boa constrictor. We meet him again in the middle of a desert with an airplane engine in disrepair and only eight days' water supply. It is in this unlikely place that he first meets the Little Prince, who asks him to draw a sheep. From this unusual beginning, readers are drawn into a fantastic tale of the Little Prince's allegorical campaign against encroaching baobab trees, his journey among the stars and the mostly unpleasant people he meets there -- adults with little imagination and badly skewed values. This life-affirming secret -- what is truly important -- is revealed in the Little Prince's relationships with the single rose on his own planet and a little fox he meets here on Earth ... and also with our narrator. He tames them, makes friends with them and therefore becomes responsible for them, and that invisible sense of responsibility, of love, is what matters most. The story rings with a sad and yet oh so hopeful and inspiring and sustained note -- each new reading reveals new meaning.

Available for the first time in an edition for young adults, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry''s classic story, The Little Prince, beloved by readers of all ages, comes to life in a format perfect for teen readers.
"I'm glad I was asked to be the ambassador for this book." -Gregory Maguire

"A lovely story…which covers a poetic, yearning philosophy-not the sort of fable that can be tacked down neatly at its four corners but rather reflections on what are real matters of consequence." -New York Times Book Review

At first glance, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's 1943 classic The Little Prince-with its winsome illustrations of a boy prince and his tiny planet-appears to be a children's fairy tale. It doesn't take long, however, to discover that it speaks to readers of all ages. This pocket-sized edition, perfect for teens, features Saint-Exupéry's original full-color illustrations and the unabridged text, a reader's guide, and a introduction by Gregory Maguire. Rediscover-or share-the magic!

This title has been selected as a Common Core Text Exemplar (Grades 4-5, Stories)

ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY, the "Winged Poet," was born in Lyon, France, in 1900. A pilot at twenty-six, he was a pioneer of commercial aviation and flew in the Spanish Civil War and World War II. His writings include The Little Prince, Wind, Sand and Stars, Night Flight, Southern Mail, and Airman''s Odyssey. In 1944, while flying a reconnaissance mission for his French air squadron, he disappeared over the Mediterranean.

 

Richard Howard is the author of eleven books of poetry, including Untitled Subjects, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1970, and Trappings. He is the translator of more than 150 works from the French and lives in New York City.

An aviator whose plane is forced down in the Sahara Desert encounters a little prince from a small planet who relates his adventures in seeking the secret of what is important in life. Howard's new translation of this beloved classic beautifully reflects Saint-Exupery's unique, gifted style. Color and b&w illustrations.