You know that book you've heard about sooooo many times that you already seem to know most quotes and basically everything about, and yet you've never read in full? Well, I though The Little Prince was like that for me.

I have the vaguest of memories of having another edition of this book when I was a small child (maybe an adapted edition for small children?) and I always had the feeling that I disliked it immensely: I didn't like the drawings, the story didn't appeal to me and I have the memory of just feeling unsettled by it. This feeling was so intense that I never picked it up again until now. Besides, the story is so prevalent in popular culture that I basically knew the whole book anyway, right?

I'm so glad I decided to stop being stupid and prejudiced! What a difference age and experience makes!
First of all, I clearly hadn't read the full book, or I didn't understand it at all, because I didn't remember most scenes and nothing of the ending. Second, knowing a bunch of quotes (and is this book quotable!) and having a rough idea of the theme is not the same as actually reading it.

This book is a precious little gem! I now love the drawings and the story and yes, the message is still unsettling, but isn't that exactly what makes it wonderful? In every adult lives a child. Imagination is a powerful tool. The ones we love change us and never truly leave us.

A book to reread, recommend and share.