{"id":28216,"date":"2015-08-19T23:15:34","date_gmt":"2015-08-20T03:15:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=28216"},"modified":"2015-08-19T23:15:34","modified_gmt":"2015-08-20T03:15:34","slug":"review-of-in-search-of-the-little-prince-by-bimba-landmann","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=28216","title":{"rendered":"Review of In Search of the Little Prince, by Bimba Landmann"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"in_search_of_the_little_prince_large\"<\/a>In Search of the Little Prince<\/p>\n

The Story of Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry<\/em><\/p>\n

Written and illustrated by Bimba Landmann<\/p>\n

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2014. First published in Italy in 2013. 36 pages.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the life story of the author of The Little Prince<\/em> in oversize picture book form. The pictures tend to be fanciful \u2013 showing Tonio\u2019s boyhood dreams \u2013 but I like that the narrative is straightforward and easy to follow.<\/p>\n

The book tells about how early Antoine became interested in flying, and how he eventually was able to fulfill that dream. It also gives us a poem he wrote at 12 years old about his first flight in an airplane \u2013 showing us that his love of writing began early, too.<\/p>\n

This book doesn\u2019t have notes at the back. Words are put into the mouths of family members and we\u2019re told about Antoine\u2019s dreams. Many quotations come from letters, but we\u2019re not explicitly told where something like this comes from:<\/p>\n

Only writing gave him comfort.
\nShort stories. Stories to calm his desire to flee.
\nAnd to try and get his soul, heavier and heavier by the day, to fly.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with you?\u201d his friends asked him. \u201cYou\u2019ve got a good job; you earn plenty. What more do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n

Tonio\u2019s coworkers only ever talked about money, houses, golf, and cars.
\nThey did not feel, as he did, that they were the inhabitants of a wandering planet suspended in the Milky Way.
\n\u201cI\u2019m bored,\u201d he sighed.
\nHe needed to be in touch with the wind, with the stars.
\nHe had to start flying again.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So this might bother sticklers. I have to admit \u2013 it didn\u2019t bother me.<\/p>\n

We also see how he developed the themes that eventually made their way into The Little Prince.<\/em><\/p>\n

The more Antoine drew, the more the boy resembled him.
\nLike him, the boy didn\u2019t understand people who want to be rich.
\nHe too was sad at seeing his planet smothered by baobabs,
\nThe way the earth was smothered by war.
\nHe too had tamed a fox.
\nHe too loved a rose . . .<\/p>\n

Antoine wrote a fairy tale like the ones he used to listen to as a child:
\nit was a fairy tale about a little prince who came from far away,
\nand it helped him find the innocence of his childhood once more,
\nwhen he was simply Tonio.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This book will make readers \u2013 children or adults \u2013 want to pick up The Little Prince<\/em> again. And perhaps think a little more deeply about the ideas behind it.<\/p>\n

bimbalandmann.com<\/a>
\nantoinedesaintexupery.com<\/a>
\neerdmans.com\/youngreaders<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Nonfiction\/in_search_of_the_little_prince.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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