Ever wondered what it would sound like if you took a slice of Lewis Carroll’s timeless classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and added a twist of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories. Now is the perfect opportunity to satisfy your satiable curiosity. Settle down and join this intrepid hero on a fantastic journey of self-discovery across the star-spangled heavens as he explores a wondrous variety of worlds, all of which harbour a host of extraordinary characters including kings, flowers, creatures and one very friendly narrator, all keen to command his attention and avail his infallible good nature.
This historic work of fiction was written by famous French Aristocrat Antione de Saint Exupery, who also worked as a mail pilot prior to the Second World War and suffered a life threatening crash in the Sahara Desert whilst attempting to break the speed record for a journey between Paris and Saigon, a feat which at the time carried a prize of 150000 francs.
Both he and his copilot, Andre Prevot survived and were eventually discovered by a Bedouin, who prevented their dying of thirst
The work was originally published in April 1943, several years after he fled from France to North America with his wife Consuelo and remains heralded in his native country as the greatest book of the 20th century.
It is also believed to be based on an earlier memoir entitled, Wind, Sand & Stars, that he wrote in 1939 before his escape and has since been interpreted in a variety of forms, including theatrical plays, radio and television productions, ballet and opera.
It is widely considered that many of the story’s locations, scenes and characters have been created by the Author as means of expressing his personal experiences and emotions during the most momentous episodes of his life, as well as his opinions about various, now historical events and the influential people that he encountered.
In literature, these alternative depictions are called “metaphors” and can be used to portray almost anything you can think of, just as an artist may choose to paint a cloud or the Sun to represent their mood, rather than go outside and copy what they could see in the real sky.
See how many you can spot.
This audio interpretation of The Little Prince is narrated by Susan Ray and can also be heard on Abracadabra Radio during the station's Read Along Hour with the option to follow the printed text using a digital copy of the book with interactive page turns.