Product Review: The Little Prince Deluxe Pop-Up Book [Pop-Up] (4th Grade +)
All grown-ups were children first. (But few remember it).
The classic French children’s book, The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince) has always been surrounded by fascination, mystery and intrigue and is quite beloved by most of us who have taken the time to let the words sink in each time we read it. The book was written and published by the French pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in 1943 just one year before the author went missing over the Mediterranean during a reconnaissance mission during WWII. Voted the best book of the 20th century in France, this book still resonates with old and young alike with the very familiar feelings of love, loneliness and loss. It also expands on the absurdity of power and what it means to act as an adult under certain self-imposed constraints from the perspective of the little child, le petit prince. While the reading level of the Little Prince is for ages 12 +, the story can connect to the younger crowd for its simplistic yet profound wisdom. I personally felt somehow changed after reading this book, as if the importance we place on the wrong things in life keeps us from the meaningful connections we can make with others. It also tells us not to lose out for our own small view and lack of reaching out for the bigger (less selfish) picture.
The Little Prince Deluxe Pop-Up Book through Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is the completely unabridged text of the original classic book and offers a take on the whimsical and sometimes surreal aspects of the book through the child-like pop-ups. The Little Prince is a child and intergalactic-plane crash survivor looking at our adult world and other worlds and trying to make sense out of society and what is really important about life and relationships. While this could be potentially seen as a ‘mature’ read, I found this is a book that could potentially be enjoyed by a younger crowd except for perhaps the very young (without revealing the ending, it does deal with the feelings of loss for a friend). The Little Prince’s bemused perspective peppered with interesting and confusing observations on his journey intertwine with a sweet story of unconditional love.
I must leave you with my favorite lines from this classic children’s book and I hope you take them to heart, my lovely readers:
“People where you live,” the little prince said, “grow five thousand roses in one garden… yet they don’t find what they’re looking for…”
“They don’t find it,” I answered.
“And yet what they’re looking for could be found in a single rose, or a little water…”
“Of course,” I answered.
And the little prince added, “But eyes are blind. You have to look with the heart.”
About Author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: Born in France in 1900, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was, in no particular order, an aristocrat, writer, poet and pioneering aviator. Already a successful commercial pilot, he joined the French Air force at the outbreak of WWII and flew reconnaissance missions until the armistice of Germany. He then came to the United States to assist our government in the fight against Nazi Germany; it was during his time in the United States when he wrote some of his best literature which included Le Petit Prince. De Saint-Exupéry is believed to have died during his last reconnaissance mission over the Mediterranean in July 1944. First published in 1943 in the United States in both English and French, it was later printed in his native homeland posthumously, after the liberation of France. The Sahara desert crash mentioned in the Little Prince is based upon his real life event of being stranded in the desert for 4 days in 1935 and miraculously survived on just one day worth of water!
About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: This Boston, MA publishing company with over 13 imprints of subsidiaries beginning in the year 1832 is the world’s largest provider provider of pre-K-12 solutions. Their educational products reach over sixty million children in 120 countries, which is amazing! Their mission statement is awesome enough to repeat; ‘To change people’s lives by fostering passionate, curious learners’. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt also takes their social and corporate responsibility very seriously and last year donated five million books worldwide through their donation partners of World Vision, the Sabre Foundation and First Book. Check out their education group portfolio here. Quite impressive!
The Little Prince Deluxe Pop-Up Book [Pop-Up]
List Price: $35.00 (Currently $23.10 through Amazon.com)
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