The Little Prince — Antoine de Saint-Exupery
About the Author and the Book
ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPERY (1900-1944) was a French writer and pilot. 'The Little Prince' is one of the BEST-SELLING books ever written. It is a STORY within a STORY — a pilot who crashes in the desert meets a LITTLE PRINCE from a tiny asteroid.
'The Little Prince is not just a children's book. It is a story about LOVE, FRIENDSHIP, and what is truly IMPORTANT in life.'
The Story — Adapted Extract
The Crash
The NARRATOR (a pilot) crashes his airplane in the SAHARA DESERT. He is all alone, a thousand miles from anywhere. He has very little water and food. He is trying to FIX his plane when he hears a VOICE.
'If you please — DRAW me a sheep!'
The pilot JUMPS in surprise. Standing in front of him is a tiny, golden-haired PRINCE. Where did he come from? The pilot looks around — there is NO ONE else for miles.
'What are you doing here?' asks the pilot.
'If you please — draw me a sheep,' says the little prince again.
The Drawing
The pilot does NOT know how to draw a sheep. He tries drawing a BOX.
'Your sheep is INSIDE this box,' says the pilot.
The little prince's face LIGHTS UP. 'That is EXACTLY what I wanted!'
'The little prince could see the sheep inside the box because he used his IMAGINATION. Grown-ups would have just seen an empty box!'
Where the Little Prince Comes From
The little prince tells the pilot that he comes from ASTEROID B-612 — a tiny planet not much bigger than a HOUSE. On his planet, there are THREE VOLCANOES (two active, one extinct) and a very special ROSE.
The Rose
The little prince LOVED a ROSE on his planet. She was BEAUTIFUL but also VAIN and demanding. She needed a GLASS GLOBE to protect her from the wind. She needed a SCREEN to protect her from drafts. She needed WATERING every day.
'I was too YOUNG to know how to love her,' the little prince says sadly.
He left his planet to TRAVEL and learn about the universe. He visited several other asteroids, each with a STRANGE grown-up.
Meeting the Fox
On EARTH, the little prince meets a FOX. The fox asks to be TAMED.
'What does "tamed" mean?' asks the little prince.
'It means to CREATE BONDS,' says the fox. 'Right now, I am just a fox like a HUNDRED thousand other foxes. But if you TAME me, we will NEED each other. You will be UNIQUE in the world for me. I will be UNIQUE in the world for you.'
The Secret of the Fox
The little prince tames the fox. When it is time to say GOODBYE, the fox tells him a SECRET:
'Here is my secret — it is very SIMPLE. One sees CLEARLY only with the HEART. What is ESSENTIAL is invisible to the EYE.'
The fox also says: 'It is the TIME you have WASTED on your rose that makes your rose so IMPORTANT. You become RESPONSIBLE forever for what you have TAMED.'
Going Home
The little prince understands. His rose is SPECIAL because he loved her and spent time with her. He must go BACK to his planet to be with her.
The little prince says farewell to the pilot. He lets a SNAKE bite him — which takes him BACK to his asteroid (the snake's bite is like a MAGIC TRANSPORT).
'You will look up at the STARS at night,' the little prince tells the pilot. 'And because I will be LIVING on one of them, you will hear me LAUGHING. All the stars will seem to you to be LAUGHING!'
What This Story Teaches Us
'This story has several beautiful lessons for children and adults alike.'
| Lesson | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SEE with your heart | The most important things cannot be seen with your eyes — love, friendship, trust |
| You become responsible | If you love someone or something, you are FOREVER responsible for them |
| Time makes things special | What makes your friend special is the TIME you spend together |
| Imagination matters | The little prince saw a sheep in a box because he BELIEVED |
| Don't be like silly grown-ups | Many grown-ups care about WRONG things (money, power, numbers) |
Why We Love This Story
- It is DEEPLY MOVING. The fox's secret brings TEARS to many readers' eyes.
- It is PHILOSOPHICAL. It makes you THINK about what really matters in life.
- It is BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN. The language is simple but POWERFUL.
- It is TIMELESS. First published in 1943, it is STILL loved by millions today.
New Words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Asteroid | A small rocky body orbiting the Sun |
| Tame | To make an animal trust you, to create a bond |
| Essential | Absolutely necessary, most important |
| Unique | One of a kind, unlike anything else |
| Vain | Excessively proud of oneself |
| Invisible | Cannot be seen |
Think and Discuss
- What is the MOST IMPORTANT lesson the fox teaches the little prince?
- Why is the rose SPECIAL to the little prince, even though there are MANY roses in the world?
- What does 'seeing with the heart' mean? Can you give an example?
- Why did the little prince need to GO BACK to his planet?
Fun Activity
Draw a picture of something that is 'invisible to the eye' — a feeling, a memory, or a friendship. Write a sentence about your drawing.
Common Mistakes in Understanding
- 'The snake does NOT kill the little prince. In the story, the snake's bite is a MAGICAL transport that sends him back to his asteroid.'
- 'The box with the sheep is not about a real sheep. It is about IMAGINATION — the ability to see what is not physically there.'
Self-Test
Q1: Who is the narrator of the story?
Q2: Where does the little prince come from?
Q3: What did the little prince ask the pilot to draw?
Q4: Who did the little prince meet on Earth that taught him an important lesson?
Q5: What is the fox's secret?
Q6: Why is the little prince's rose special, even though there are many roses?
Answers:
A1: A pilot who crashes his plane in the Sahara Desert. A2: Asteroid B-612, a tiny planet not much bigger than a house. A3: A sheep (and was happy when the pilot drew a box and said the sheep was inside). A4: A fox. A5: 'One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.' A6: Because the little prince spent TIME with her, CARED for her, and LOVED her. That made her unique to him.
