The Little Prince Summary and Complete Study Guide

The prince decides to return home to his rose. The only way back is letting the snake bite him—essentially dying. The pilot realizes what's happening too late. The prince's body disappears, suggesting he returned to his asteroid. Years later, the pilot asks readers to tell him if they see a small blonde prince in the desert. The message? Adults forget to see what's important. Love means responsibility—you're responsible for what you tame. Seeing with the heart beats seeing with the eyes. And what makes something unique and valuable isn't objective quality but the time and love you invest in it. Saint-Exupéry wrote it during WWII and disappeared on a flight soon after. It's nominally for children but really for adults who forgot how to see like children. "All grown-ups were once children, but only few of them remember it."

Published 1943 in New York while Saint-Exupéry was exiled during WWII. He disappeared on a reconnaissance flight in 1944, making this his last completed work. The book has sold over 140 million copies and been translated into 300+ languages—one of the bestselling books ever. The author's own watercolor illustrations are integral to the story. It's simultaneously a children's book and a philosophical meditation on love, loss, and what makes life meaningful. France put Saint-Exupéry on their currency. The book influenced countless writers and artists. Its lessons about seeing with the heart became cultural touchstones. Every "wise child teaching jaded adult" story owes it something.