The Little Prince

Before Reading
　De Saint-Exupéry was a French writer/and a pioneering aviator.// The Little Prince  is one of his best-known works,/selling an estimated 140 million copies.// It has been translated/into 300 languages.//
　The Little Prince  has captured the hearts of readers/around the world/since it first appeared in 1943.// On the surface/it’s a simple story,/but the little prince is clever/and his messages of compassion and goodwill/continue to be relevant today.//
　The main theme of the story/is the importance of looking beneath the surface/to find the real truth/and meaning of something.// What makes the prince so special/is his ability/to love fully and completely.// He tells us/what is most important for our lives/through various encounters/with people and other living things.//
　Please enjoy reading this story.//


　One day,/I made a crash landing/in the desert.// There I met a boy.// He was a little prince/from a far-off planet.//
　The little prince lived alone/on a very small planet.// There were three volcanoes/and some baobab shoots there.// He was growing a rose from a seed/and taking good care of it.//
　But one day,/the little prince quarreled/with the rose/and decided to set out on a journey/to other planets.//
　On the first planet/lived a king/who always gave orders.//
　“Ah!// Here is a subject,”/exclaimed the king,/when he saw the little prince coming.//
　“Approach,/so that I may see you better,”/said the king,/who felt extremely proud of/at last being a king over somebody.//