There is a reason that Alice in Wonderland is going to do well in the theaters as it comes out this weekend. We love to revisit the stories of our childhood. Is there something in the act of writing for a child that brings out the best in authors? Some of the truest and most profound things I have ever read are written for children.
The books that live on through the ages are those that a parent re-reads to their own child and in so doing discovers new meaning, renewed exuberance for literature and life. So I hope to go over some of my favorites and re-read them myself and maybe for the first time to my children this week. If you have children I encourage you to read these books again or maybe for the first time. I will try not to spoil the books for those of you who haven't read them but just to highlight what I love about them. So today I begin with "Le Petit Prince" or the Little Prince because this book encompasses the spirit of my list. It teaches us that "grown ups" often subscribe to the importance of numbers, "worth", and importance and the little prince reminds us that sometimes it is best to think like a child, see with our hearts, and to remember that we were all children once.
"That is the hardest thing of all. It is much harder to judge yourself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself, it's because you're truly a wise man."
The Little Prince. written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, has been translated into more than 180 languages and sold more than 80 million copies. [1] This may be a bit of a stretch as it is arguable that this book was not really written for children but nonetheless it is in the format of a child's story. If you haven't read this book or haven't read it for a long time I highly recommend it. The basic plot is that a "little prince" visiting Earth from his home on an asteroid comes across the author in the desert and tells him stories of his home and his travels. The little prince astonishes the author with his insight and depth and makes several points that all of us "grown ups" could stand to re-learn. The author also provides simple but beautiful illustrations that match the tone of the novella. The lessons The Little Prince teaches are extremely relevant in today's society. In fact the recent media coverage of Heidi Montag and her plastic surgery reminded me of something that The Little Prince tells a rose, "You're lovely, but you're empty". I could go on and on with the lessons that the Little Prince could teach those "celebrities" that our nation obsesses over but I will leave you to come up with your own moral musings.
I will just leave you with a few of my favorite passages and hope that you too will fall in love with the story of the boy from asteroid B-612.
"Grown-ups like numbers. When you tell them about a new friend, they never ask questions about what really matters. They never ask: 'What does his voice sound like?' 'What games does he like best?' 'Does he collect butterflies?'. They ask: 'How old is he?' 'How many brothers does he have?' 'How much does he weigh?' 'How much money does his father make?' Only then do they think they know him."
"One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes."
And mostly.... I hope to remind you...
"All grown-ups were children first. (But few remember it)."
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