Well, this one’s down to you Pogue.

Another of your imaginative Christmas gifts. A limited edition copy of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince. First, thank you once again. Unexpected and pleasing. What more could one ask of a gift?

If you’ve never read The Little Prince then you need to know that this seemingly simple children’s book hides a lot. It is perhaps a series of parables, it then conveys two meanings making it an allegory and, it is a fable with animals and plants entering into dialogue with the main character, the Little Prince. So, it is entertaining for children who may readily identify with the Prince, a child like themselves, who will fuel their world of imagination and adventure. But the adult reader will be caught unraveling the author’s hidden messages and the imagery. For all it brings into question that age old mystery, the meaning of life.

What did I find awaiting in the text?

Well I met a fox who reminded me that the most important things in life are understood by the heart and not the head. That relationships of any worth are built on kindness and love and need work.

A rose, the possession and prize of the Little Prince, that is vain, demanding and filled with a sense of self importance (remember I told you the plants talk). She both charms the Prince and demands the Prince’s attention so that he both loves her and struggles to understand his commitment to her.

And I met six various characters who occupy random asteroids and… if you want to know more you will have to read it yourself, either as your own inner child or as a curious grownup. Even I managed it in 3 hours as it is short but then, one could spend many hours finding meanings, which include the very limiting views of many people and how they touch us, the value of mistakes as teachers, and, that true relationships run in parallel with responsibility if they are to succeed, success being something that must embrace both parties. And these lessons are there for children and adults.

I am going to place it on my bookshelf right next to a favorite, Jonathon Livingstone Seagull, another short book for children and adults which covers a multitude of genres like The Little Prince.

Thank you for an enjoyable read and a worthy addition to the bookshelf.

Wic