Given how many must-read lists on which [b:The Little Prince|157993|The Little Prince|Antoine de Saint-Exupéry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1367545443l/157993._SY75_.jpg|2180358] has been featured, I cannot believe I have gone so long without having read it. Now that I have, I can say that this is a really special story that I wish I had read much sooner—there is a reason for the mass appeal.

Written just a year before being shot down by a German reconnaissance pilot in World War II, Antoine de Saint-Exupery was a French pilot whose dreams soared higher than the skies he flew. The Little Prince opens with a pilot stranded in a dessert who stumbles upon a little prince from a distant (little) planet with two volcanoes and an intrepid rose. The prince is small, but he travels a number of planets, learning new things along the way.

“It’s the time you spent with your rose that makes your rose so important… People have forgotten this truth… But you mustn’t forget it. You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed. You’re responsible for your rose…” – The Fox

Throughout his travels, the little prince still finds himself thinking of his rose, which he would protect with a glass encasement. His new friend the fox explains that once something is “tamed” that ties have been established the two beings. While this is perhaps a paternalistic way to view love, there is an essential truth that lies within this observation—once you are tied to someone (or some flower) through time or bond, it is hard to not feel a responsibility for their well-being. It’s a simple lesson with big consequences that we all learn at some point in adolescence.

Overall, The Little Prince is a little story that I believe most would find worthwhile. I definitely recommend it to anyone of any age.