One of my favourite reads is The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, with its moral allegory and spiritual autobiography. It is the most translated book in the French language.

For those not familiar with it, it has a timeless charm and is the story of a little boy who leaves the safety of his own tiny planet to travel the universe, learning the vagaries of adult behaviour through a series of extraordinary encounters. His personal odyssey culminates in a voyage to Earth and further adventures.

Below is one of my favourite passages from the book:

“All men have stars, but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems… But all these stars are silent. You-You alone will have stars as no one else has them… In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night. You, only you, will have stars that can laugh! And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me… You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure… It will be as if, in place of the stars, I had given you a great number of little bells that knew how to laugh.”

The passage speaks to us and children about living well and how to live a good life. It speaks of loving and loving everything with great feeling and passion. It is about connection and friendship and of not being alone. These are all important life considerations, especially in a world where children are isolated and drawn into the virtual world of video and console games.

In today’s world it is more relevant than ever…talk to your child about connecting with the stars and how these can guide and support and show us love.

Look out for my children’s educational book coming soon!