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24th out of 116 books
—
77 voters
The Little Prince & Letter to a Hostage
In The Little Prince, a small boy leaves the tiny planet on which he lives alone, on a trip to Earth, where he is introduced to the vagaries of adult behaviour. "Letter to a Hostage" is an open letter to a Jewish intellectual in hiding in occupied France.
Translated by T.V.F. Cuffe.
Translated by T.V.F. Cuffe.
118 pages
Published
1998
by Penguin Books
(first published 1943)
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i couldnt put the book down since the first time i touched it. i couldnt believe that this book is a children book, seriously?
in my humble opinion i would say this is an adult book written by an adult to the world of adulthood. all of the children instruments in there are only symbols and mediums of the idea being presented.
anyway,the book has tamed me, just like the boy has tamed the fox or the rose has tamed the boy (without him realizing it). There are so many wonderful books out there but th...more
in my humble opinion i would say this is an adult book written by an adult to the world of adulthood. all of the children instruments in there are only symbols and mediums of the idea being presented.
anyway,the book has tamed me, just like the boy has tamed the fox or the rose has tamed the boy (without him realizing it). There are so many wonderful books out there but th...more
A didactic tale full of syrupy analogies that rely on appeal to sentiment more than great writing.
I picked this up after finding myself in Queenstown with two hours to kill and nothing to read. I had never heard of it before but the children's book in the Penguin Modern Classic format intrigued me.
The resulting fable for children, plays as a warning to the adult to retain that wonder of the world that keeps us grounded, reminding us of the real magic and importance of life. The adult world is mocked and ridiculed, wrapped up with figures, pomposity, ceremony and self absorption, as we meet t...more
The resulting fable for children, plays as a warning to the adult to retain that wonder of the world that keeps us grounded, reminding us of the real magic and importance of life. The adult world is mocked and ridiculed, wrapped up with figures, pomposity, ceremony and self absorption, as we meet t...more
I read this book in the course of a couple of hours when I was a junior in high school. My sister and I had both studied French, and her teacher had recommended it. My sister asked me once during a conversation if the sheep had eaten the flower. Having no idea what she was talking about I ignored the question and thus became a grown up. Horrified by my answer, my sister handed me the book and told me not to move until I had finished it. I read it, and once I was allowed to move I looked out my f...more
It's impossible to see the world of adulthood through the lens of the little prince without experiencing a certain change of perspective.
I've been told before that The Little Prince is a book for children, and while that's true, it's also clear that such moral allegory surely was intended for grown-ups. Complete with bright, child-like drawings that one would have to be soulless to dislike, The Little Prince is a charming tale that should be read by everyone, especially those on the cusp of adu...more
I've been told before that The Little Prince is a book for children, and while that's true, it's also clear that such moral allegory surely was intended for grown-ups. Complete with bright, child-like drawings that one would have to be soulless to dislike, The Little Prince is a charming tale that should be read by everyone, especially those on the cusp of adu...more
Opened this book up and there was an inscription from my late Grandmother: "To Ryan - My Own Little Prince."
That's either really sweet or just makes you roll your eyes, but there it is. It added to the book's magnitude while reading it.
That said, I liked The Little Prince but didn't especially understand it. I suppose this is due to some combination of the narrative being an allegory, the meaning being slightly lost in translation, and the author being French. Still, I got some of the more obvio...more
That's either really sweet or just makes you roll your eyes, but there it is. It added to the book's magnitude while reading it.
That said, I liked The Little Prince but didn't especially understand it. I suppose this is due to some combination of the narrative being an allegory, the meaning being slightly lost in translation, and the author being French. Still, I got some of the more obvio...more
While the story itself can be a little reliant on sentiment to make us feel for the little prince, it is written with such delicate fragility and tender sincerity that when pitted against the metaphors for heavier subjects of existence, The Little Prince elevates itself from just being another sentimental story of lost childhood and innocence. The drawings are a unique feature of the story and serve as excellent and creative devices that really brings the story to life and inspires a greater lev...more
Jan 28, 2009
Christina
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
classics,
2009-reads
I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked if my drawing frightened them.
'Why would a hat frighten anyone?' they answered.
My drawing was not of a hat. It was of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. So then I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, for the benefit of the grown-ups. (Grown-ups always need explanations.)
The grown-ups now advised me to give up drawing boa constrictors altogether, from the inside or the outside, and devote myself instead to geography, history, arithment...more
'Why would a hat frighten anyone?' they answered.
My drawing was not of a hat. It was of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. So then I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, for the benefit of the grown-ups. (Grown-ups always need explanations.)
The grown-ups now advised me to give up drawing boa constrictors altogether, from the inside or the outside, and devote myself instead to geography, history, arithment...more
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This book was really deep. It had alot of meaningful ties to the differences of the mind of an adult and the mind of a child. In this book, the narrator talks about how adults never understoodhis art when he was younger. As an adult, the narrator meet the little prince and discovers that this young boy is much more knowledgable in his opinion than any adult he'd ever met. The little prince is from a small planet and he roams various planets in search of companionship. The little prince is just a...more
I heard people raving about this book and I completely understand why!
"The Little Prince" is centred on a little prince who leaves the safety of his own tiny planet, embarks on an 'intergalactical' journey and experiences interesting encounters with grown ups in different planets. His story is narrated in his conversation with an aviator he met who made a forced landing due to engine failure in the Sahara dessert - a place, that is often portrayed as lonely, sad place where life will meet its en...more
"The Little Prince" is centred on a little prince who leaves the safety of his own tiny planet, embarks on an 'intergalactical' journey and experiences interesting encounters with grown ups in different planets. His story is narrated in his conversation with an aviator he met who made a forced landing due to engine failure in the Sahara dessert - a place, that is often portrayed as lonely, sad place where life will meet its en...more
Hmmm...what should I say about such a strange little book. I liked it, I think. The author carried a new train of thought, refreshing, with a childlike moral. The book had a message to grownups and reminded me of the mind of a youth - full of questions, no answers, and simple logic. The author said that, to him, the desert with a solitary star in the horizon is a picture of the loveliest and saddest landscape in the world. I could draw so much meaning from the simple sentence but I don't believe...more
The book I read is named 'The Little Prince and Letter to a Hostage' by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.This book is about a pilot who fell down to the desert and met the Little Prince. The Little Prince is the guy who lives in one planet with a rose.The rose said that it is the only one in the universe. So the Little Prince travels the planets to prove that the rose is wrong. He meets many adults and is disappointed about the adults. He fell down to the desert in the Earth and met a snake, a fox, and...more
I found this book fascinating and meaningful. Although it is not one of my favourite books, it is still one of the books that will always stay in my mind. "The little prince" describes how children, from a baby to a 12-year-old, are often misunderstood by adults. In this story, the author told me his opinions about adults. In page 7, the author said, "I would place myself on their level. I would talk about bridge and golf, about politics and neckties. And the grown-up would be very pleased to ha...more
So profound I almost couldn't take it in. I came away from this with a message of sadness - a warning, if you like. Something happens to us when we reach adulthood and we no longer see, we switch off our imaginations. We stop asking the right questions. Well not me - not anymore. Never again will I ask what someone does for a living, or where they live, etc. I will ask them what their favourite colour is. What they eat for breakfast. What makes them laugh. What their favourite planet is. I will...more
-Title The Little Prince
-Time 10/8=30minutes 10/9=30minutes 10/10=30minutes 10/11=30minutes
-7 words= little prince, sheep, planet, flower, grown-up, drunkard, pictures
Discussion Question
1.The little prince went to some planets, so if you were to move another planet, which planets do you want to go to?
In my view, I want to go to the moon because I want to watch the earth from there.
2.The little prince is so kind of somehting or someone. Can you be kind of something or someone even if you dislike...more
-Time 10/8=30minutes 10/9=30minutes 10/10=30minutes 10/11=30minutes
-7 words= little prince, sheep, planet, flower, grown-up, drunkard, pictures
Discussion Question
1.The little prince went to some planets, so if you were to move another planet, which planets do you want to go to?
In my view, I want to go to the moon because I want to watch the earth from there.
2.The little prince is so kind of somehting or someone. Can you be kind of something or someone even if you dislike...more
Such a magical story! I read this when I was younger and loved it and recently found the pop up version to buy my daughter. This is such a great story for children and adults. It's such a unique book with wonder and for a minute I forgot what it was like to think like a child. In practice of being a teacher we are taught to be on our young students level and sometimes it is quite the challenge. This book reminds me to look at things through there eyes and see what they see. Take time and remembe...more
I watched the cartoon series based on this book when I was a young child. When I found the book, which I had already known the cartoon was based on, I bought it immediately.
The story is bittersweet. I wish that it could have been a little longer and perhaps a little more detailed than it was, but it was still very enjoyable. I read it aloud to my young son, and he seems to have enjoyed it as well.
You don't find children's books like this very often. Especially not in this day and time. I really...more
The story is bittersweet. I wish that it could have been a little longer and perhaps a little more detailed than it was, but it was still very enjoyable. I read it aloud to my young son, and he seems to have enjoyed it as well.
You don't find children's books like this very often. Especially not in this day and time. I really...more
It only took me about an hour to reread The Little Prince.. Now I really do not understand why can I forget such an unforgettable story like this.. Well I have my theory why, but let's put that to rest coz it doesn't matter anymore..
I would like to think that this book is dedicated to the children's side of grown-ups used to be.. it's definitely a book full of moral allegories in life.. how sometimes people are not grateful and forget what is actually important things in life.. This story mildly...more
I would like to think that this book is dedicated to the children's side of grown-ups used to be.. it's definitely a book full of moral allegories in life.. how sometimes people are not grateful and forget what is actually important things in life.. This story mildly...more
This book was heartwarming and entertaining. It was heartwarming because it gives lesson to people who will surely read it. The biggest difference between the adult and children which was like gave me the disapproval of myself being grown up. Well, the book speaks the lessons about life that have been spoken but haven't been apply. You know the difference about truth and reality. The possibilities that there really are people or royalty from different planets or asteroids.Yet it was entertaining...more
Oct 03, 2012
Alfredo
added it
Simple thing are clearly in this book with his great metaphors. This one is amazing "one sees clearly only with the heart. anything essential is invisible to the eyes". other one is "only the childrens know What are looking for".
I think about, How many times when I ask a question and the answers for me is not enough and let it go, but in this book The Little Prince Who had never in all his life let go of a question once he had asked it. this book simply great.
I think about, How many times when I ask a question and the answers for me is not enough and let it go, but in this book The Little Prince Who had never in all his life let go of a question once he had asked it. this book simply great.
It was a very cute story about life's meaning. I read it with my seven-year old, though I felt that he was too young to grasp the book's messages -- even much of the language used was over his head. The dedication at the beginning of the book was very touching, reminding readers that a child exists somewhere in us all. At the heart of the book is the message that love is what gives meaning to our lives, and that we lose the central meaning of life as we grow-up and become mired with work, and th...more
i always thought, actually since elementary school, that this book is so boring. Yet two months ago I bought the book because it is my friend's favorite book and decided to see what was so good about this book. i'm older now so things change also now i love to read back than i hated it. and read it in one breath and remained puff! book is PHENOMENAL!
I personally like this book. At first, you'll think its just a book for kids because of the cover but once you start reading it you'll realise how beautiful of a book it is! The words are simple and very easy to understand and what I love about this book is in its simplicity is hidden a lot of meaningful words. You'll learn a lot from this little prince. ;)
The very first book which our English teacher instructed us to read not I could remember if it was actually on curriculum or for the sake that we student should understand merely a completely and entirely written in metaphor way back high school. I even cursed on reading this book as I have no interest on reading but then it was a compulsory and I have to face the fact that I should have read it over and over again to understand every words, every sentence, every paragraph and every thoughts of...more
hmmm... this is recommended by a friend of mine, and i can say that this book is amazing. i like the little prince, how he never let go of the questions he asked, and how he do not answer the questions being asked to him. this book is also sad, i feel sad for the little prince, how he lived alone in his small planet, etc. this book is for all ages so i bet you all read this one. i wonder if he will come back to earth.
Excellent read. One may want to check out Marie Louise Von Franz's fascinating Jungian interpretation of this text, along with St. Exupery's life and Bruno Goetz' "Kingdom without Space", in the invaluable "The Problem of the Puer Aeternas: a Jungian Psychological Inquiry into the Adult Struggle with the Paradise of Childhood." :-)
Another classic. The philosophy involved is so ingenious in this book. It really gets you thinking whilst keeping a great story line. The characters that that you encounter are extremely memorable and you can finish in a couple of hours. A very quick and lovely read. I seriously recommend anyone to have this on their bookshelf.
I strongly believe, and I shall stick to this belief, that all libraries -- be they at home or open to the public -- must have at least one copy of The Little Prince, and that every child alive today must at least read or listen to it at least once in their lives. And for adults, they should read it at least once a year.
The edition that I have has this cover but does not have "Letter to a Hostage."
This little book is one of the reasons I love reading. To say anything more would be to ruin the experience of a possible reader.
(I read this a long time ago and had wanted to translate it in Filipino one day but someone beat me to it.)
This little book is one of the reasons I love reading. To say anything more would be to ruin the experience of a possible reader.
(I read this a long time ago and had wanted to translate it in Filipino one day but someone beat me to it.)
Jan 21, 2009
joy in wonderland
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to joy in wonderland by:
one of my best buddy
Shelves:
classic-books
"very entertaining, first i open it, i close and finish it, drawn you to every page..."
haha and want to read it again, 'coz there just this weird thing were you have to grasp... like its not that simple... it's complex and yeah challenge you to think and contemplate haha huh? hope am making a sense here O.o
haha and want to read it again, 'coz there just this weird thing were you have to grasp... like its not that simple... it's complex and yeah challenge you to think and contemplate haha huh? hope am making a sense here O.o
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Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was born in Lyons on June 29, 1900. He flew for the first time at the age of twelve, at the Ambérieu airfield, and it was then that he became determined to be a pilot. He kept that ambition even after moving to a school in Switzerland and while spending summer vacations at the family's château at Saint-Maurice-de-Rémens, in eastern France. (The house at Saint-Maurice appea...more
More about Antoine de Saint-Exupéry...
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“But on your tiny planet, my little prince, all you need do is move your chair a few steps. You can see the day end and the twilight falling whenever you like...
"One day," you said to me, "I saw the sunset forty-four times!"
And a little later you added: "You know, one loves the sunset, when one is so sad..." "Were you so sad, then?" I asked, "on the day of the forty-four sunsets?"
But the little prince made no reply.”
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"One day," you said to me, "I saw the sunset forty-four times!"
And a little later you added: "You know, one loves the sunset, when one is so sad..." "Were you so sad, then?" I asked, "on the day of the forty-four sunsets?"
But the little prince made no reply.”
