ENGLISH 10

The Little
Prince
by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

A Critical Book Review by:

John Marcial G. Pacis

Presented to:

Mrs. Keren Joy B. Wigan

The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Gallimard: United
States. 1943. 96 pages. Reviewed by John Marcial Pacis.

INTRODUCTION

The Little Prince is originally a French novel

(Le Petit Prince) written by aristocrat, writer,

poet, and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

Published first in 1943 and then was translated

into 250 different Languages including Braille.

The novel depicts a story of an aviator who met

a boy he referred to as the Little Prince in the

Sahara Desert where he crash landed later on the

Prince re-tells his experiences from his home

planet and the other planets he visited.

I’ve chosen this book to be my topic of review

because I know the premise very well and aside from

that I find this novel appealing because of the

value and meaning behind its well written story

that highly influenced my viewpoint towards life.

The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Gallimard: United
States. 1943. 96 pages. Reviewed by John Marcial Pacis.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Antoine-Marie-Roger de Saint-Exupéry (June 29, 1900-

July 31, 1944) was a French aviator and the author of the

novel The Little Prince. A veteran of France's air service

(1921-23), he spent most of his working life in commercial

aviation. He also wrote novels. Southern Mail (1929), Night

Flight (1931) and Wind, Sand and Stars (1939) brought him

critical and popular success. He flew for the French at the

beginning of World War II, but with Germany's occupation of

France Saint-Exupéry moved to the U.S. and Canada, where he

wrote his most famous work, The Little Prince. Despite

being a little too old to fly, he joined the Free French

and Allied air forces toward the end of World War II. He

went on a mission to collect information on German troop

movements in the Rhone valley on 31 July 1944 and was never

seen again.
The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Gallimard: United
States. 1943. 96 pages. Reviewed by John Marcial Pacis.

CRITICAL BOOK REVIEW

1. Is there an adequate, consistent development of the

author’s stated thesis? Why or why not?

Yes-The author’s purpose can be seen throughout the

entire novel. It can be seen in every chapter that real-

life references and experiences were used.

2. What is the author’s purpose? Did the author accomplish

his purpose?

The author intended to show his life there by showing

the transition of being a child to an adult along with this

is the intention to depict references of German occupation

in France during World War II. The author accomplished his

goals with a combination of good story telling and cartoon

illustrations made by the author himself and the result to

that was a children’s fable that adults can relate to or an

adult’s novel intended for children.

The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Gallimard: United
States. 1943. 96 pages. Reviewed by John Marcial Pacis.

3. Does the author approach the subject with any biases,

i.e. do the author’s theological, experimental,

philosophical and cultural perspectives influence his

conclusions?

There is a cultural reference or rather a historical

reference to the story, as the author intended to depict

France during German regime in World War II some chapters

show references of that depiction like the Baobabs

symbolizing the Nazis destroying the Little Prince’s home

which symbolizes France. Aside from that, the viewpoint of

the author from experiences of being a child to an adult

was also shown.

4. Does the book fully support his thesis?

Yes, The Little Prince successfully portrayed

Antoine’s viewpoints and depictions properly.

5. Is the author’s style of presenting the flow of the

story appropriate?

Yes, creating a story in which a child could

understand and an adult could enjoy is really amazing.

The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Gallimard: United
States. 1943. 96 pages. Reviewed by John Marcial Pacis.

SUMMARY

1. What are the strengths of the book? What contributions

does the book make?

The strength of the book lies within its story and

symbolism. The book contributed a huge part in World

Literature.

2. Why should a person read this book?

This is truly a must-read for book lovers of all ages,

because it’s a story that can change the way an adult views

at life, and it’s a unique and adventure filled tale for

the children to adore.

3. What did you learn from this book?

I learned that life is not what it looks like at first

glance, there’s more to it and one must explore not just to

see but to feel what is truly essential in this world.

4. How might you apply the lessons in this book in your

life?

Simply by looking at life in a brighter perspective,

learn not just to see but also understand more.

The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Gallimard: United
States. 1943. 96 pages. Reviewed by John Marcial Pacis.

5. Would you recommend the book? Why? Why not?

Yes I would absolutely recommend it. It’s a wonderful

book that has good values to be learned in its story.