THE LITTLE PRINCE GRAPHIC NOVEL

A prolific comic-book artist tackles the beloved standard of French children’s literature in graphic form with middling results. As if taking his cues from the late Antoine de Saint-Exupéry himself, Sfar approaches his source material with no small degree of deference. The text is reproduced nearly verbatim, and the artist takes great pains to faithfully render the intricately detailed illustrations Saint-Exupéry imagined (and stated in the text). If anything, Sfar may be too true to the original. His drawings are charmingly competent, but they lack creativity. This version of the doe-eyed prince, though clearly partaking of the illustrator’s unique aesthetic, isn’t really anything readers haven’t seen many times before. The haunting landscapes of Saint-Exupéry’s surreal wonderland might seem the stuff of which illustrators dream, but these fall unusually flat. Standard six-per-page panels might have been interwoven with alternate perspectives and formats; without such relief, this adaptation plods. A rare miss from an otherwise adept and engaging artist; opt for the original and an evening under the stars. (Graphic classic. 8 & up)