• THE LITTLE PRINCE
• by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
• [rated by PBS readers as #36]
• 96 pages

Here’s a little funny great weird story for you guys. And I’m not even talking about the book!

When PBS announced the 100 greatest reads, in no particular order, the public was encouraged to vote for our favorites, over a matter of months. Our votes would then determine the final order of the 100.

I had about 10 of the titles that I routinely voted for. Among those ten, I routinely voted for The Little Prince.

It wasn’t until tonight, when I finished reading it, that I realize. I have never read it before.

Now, especially if you know me personally and care about me, you might become agitated at the thought of where my brain has gotten to. I assure you, there have been many a moment where I share that agitation. Man, have I ever shared it!

Or you could believe, as I do, that The Little Prince, like life, is a state of mind. And his royal highness is indeed a state of mind and a force of nature all rolled up in one!

You know, for all of its multitude of fans, accolades from critics, 8 gablillion translations, more books sold than McDonald’s filet of fish, His Tiny Majesty is really quite a quirky little fucker. Quirky and charming.

As for any little tale that reminds you of Prince, this one came before any of them. Tiny Highness was a fable of transcendence before that was even a thing. A genre…

To me, the core of what makes this wonderful and unbelievably lasting is what the author doesn’t say. It feels like he saw down the road and knew what he had to do.

Keep it light. So many themes go through this little tale – all touched upon with feather softness, giving them each to you to think over and then flying away, to not belabor

the point.

I feel like I know what this book is about and I have no idea what this book is about – at the same time. And I love that! I have a feeling the book loves that too. I’d love to discuss this with some friends and I almost never feel that way.

Not bad for a children’s book. Wait a minute, is it a children’s book?

It’s anything you want it to be. It transcends. It is a state of mind.