by Antoine de St. Exupery
It's common to use this classic as a read aloud in a 3rd grade class. The story told by a pilot. As a little boy he wanted to draw, but no adult understood his drawings. Reluctantly he let go of the imagination of childhood and set into a career. When he crashes in the middle of the Sahara desert he finds a strange boy dressed as a prince. This boy has a single request "Please, will you draw me a sheep?" After some tries, the pilot does so, only for the boy to realize that sheep eat flowers. The boy is heartbroken that the flowers are being killed by the sheep and insists he needs a way to protect them. The pilot thinks this is foolish and says so. Over the course of the book the pilot learns of the boys love for his flower, and comes to see how love changes the core of who we are.
It's common to use this classic as a read aloud in a 3rd grade class. The story told by a pilot. As a little boy he wanted to draw, but no adult understood his drawings. Reluctantly he let go of the imagination of childhood and set into a career. When he crashes in the middle of the Sahara desert he finds a strange boy dressed as a prince. This boy has a single request "Please, will you draw me a sheep?" After some tries, the pilot does so, only for the boy to realize that sheep eat flowers. The boy is heartbroken that the flowers are being killed by the sheep and insists he needs a way to protect them. The pilot thinks this is foolish and says so. Over the course of the book the pilot learns of the boys love for his flower, and comes to see how love changes the core of who we are.I think 3rd grade is the youngest I'd go with this one, but in 3rd grade they would need adult guidance. I read this story when I was in college and it changed me as a person. I think every human being should read it.
What I Love About This Book
This one deals with a very adult theme of how one can show love. It remains an innocent story, but it challenges us to reevaluate our thinking and feeling. As we adventure through the Sahara with the Pilot and as the Prince recounts his adventures of traveling through space to find how to love someone, we start to contemplate what it means to love. I'm not sure I can give an apt description of this book, but it challenged a few of my perceptions. The theme is that when you truly love someone (remember we aren't even talking about romantic love here) it changes the whole world for you.
Cautions
I can't spoil the ending, it's too beautiful. Suffice it to say, if you have moral issues with the book "The Giving Tree" this is not the book for you. Also, the personality of the rose is that of a fickle woman in some ways, but the theme is loving those who are imperfect.
No comments:
Post a Comment