31. The Little Prince

This enduring classic tells the story of a nameless little prince from the asteroid known as B-612 who is encountered by an airplane pilot in the Desert of Sahara. The stranded pilot has crashed thousands of miles from human habitation. He must repair his plane before his small supply of water runs out. Amazingly, it is here in the middle of nowhere that the pilot is met by this little boy, dressed in high boots and a long, regal cape and claiming to be a little prince from another world.

During their time together in the desert, the little prince recounts to the pilot how he has managed to leave his tiny world of asteroid B-612 and eventually make his way to the planet Earth. The little prince tells stories about the characters he has met along his journey, from the lonely king who lays claim to all the stars in the sky, to the geographer who knows nothing of the worlds around him except from what he reads in books. By the time the little prince finally leaves Earth, he has talked with plants and animals as well as with people, and the lessons he has learned along the way ultimately affect no one more than the lone pilot he meets in the desert.

Since it was first published in 1943, Antoine de Saint Exupery's story about a little prince with very big ideas has been translated into over a dozen languages and embraced around the world by readers of all ages. Saint Exupery's simple illustrations, evocative of the little prince's innocence and his wisdom, have themselves become as well known as the story he tells. In his dedication, the author reminds his readers that "all grown-ups were once children" and truly if there is one thing to learn from the little prince's example is that no one — grown-up or otherwise — should ever let go of the wonder and imagination they have known as a child.

"The special allure is still the naively sophisticated, heartwarming tale of the little prince and his small planet." — The Horn Book