First published 1943
A pilot crashes his plane in the Sahara Desert and faces death from thirst and isolation. While attempting repairs, he meets an extraordinary child who claims to come from a distant asteroid. The little prince describes his tiny world, complete with three volcanoes and a single rose who demanded his constant attention with her vanity and demands. He left his planet to explore others, meeting peculiar adults obsessed with numbers, power, and meaningless tasks. Through their conversations in the desert, the prince shares what he learned about friendship, love, and seeing beyond surface appearances. The pilot discovers that this small visitor understands truths about human nature that most adults have forgotten. As the prince prepares to return to his asteroid and his beloved rose, both he and the pilot must confront what truly matters in life.
Genres: fiction, classic-literature, coming-of-age, fables, childrens-classics
Vibes: bittersweet, introspective, melancholic, poetic, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: found-family, journey-of-self-discovery, mentor-figure, unreliable-reality
Setting: Sahara Desert, Asteroid B-612
Period: 20th-century
91 pages · Paperback · Mammoth
Content warnings: death