THE JOURNEY OF THE LITTLE PRINCE

A lofty board-book retelling of the classic story, published to coincide with its 80th anniversary.

In just a few pages, de Saint-Exupéry’s beloved title is distilled into a series of key events and takeaways. After each of the Little Prince’s encounters with, for instance, a king, a businessman, and a geographer, a summary page recaps the message: “Staying true to yourself and not depending on the approval of other people is the key to helping you thrive.” This is followed up with thoughtful questions such as “Which inner qualities are important to you?” and “What are the belongings that really make you happy?” As a summary of the source material, the book succeeds. As a title appropriate for toddler readers, it wildly misses the mark. The text is dense, the thought-provoking questions are complex, and the lessons are too abstract. The glow-in-the-dark stars are an attempt at appealing to little ones, but overall the book will resonate more with adults who are fond of the source material and are eager to share it with children. As in the original, characters present White. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

May strike a chord with de Saint-Exupéry’s adult fans but will leave its target audience perplexed.