World Book Day 2021, Little Prince Illustration by @albenkh (insta and fb)
Happy World Book Day 2021, bookworms! From our stack of books, one that we have collected in many languages is the Little Prince (bible discounting – we have this in 228 languages). While we can only understand it in some languages at the moment, we hope we can do more in the future.
Table of Contents
The Little Prince
For World Book Day 2021, we chose a classic favorite to feature. The Little Prince is a novella written by French aristocrat and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It is one of the best-selling and most translated (301 languages and dialects) books of all time. The little prince in the story has golden hair, an endearing laugh, and as a child, kept repeating questions until they’re answered. He lived in a house-sized asteroid known as “B 612” where he tended to baobob trees, uprooting them to not take over his asteroid that houses 3 volcanoes, one dormant and two active. There was also a rose that the Little Prince grew to love despite it being vain and silly.
World Book Day 2021: Looking like a fox? (Little Prince Books)
Life Lessons
Although written in a style of a children’s book, the Little Prince taught us many life lessons, making us reflect on human nature and life in general. What we noticed is, most of these are also bible principles. Here are some.
?Each one is unique
“To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world…“
That we are created equal but unique is a testimony how great our God is. And we become all the more unique from the point of view of people who came to know us.
Psalm 139:13-14 “I praise you because in an awe-inspiring way I am wonderfully made.”
?What we perceive as reality may not be real
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
At times, we just see what is the tip of an iceberg, and we may think that it’s all there is to it. However, our perception is different from those of others, and our positions make each of us see a different area of the whole picture. All the more so, we often look at the outer side of things, not deeper.
1 Samuel 16:7 “For the way man sees is not the way God sees, because mere man sees what appears to the eyes, but Jehovah sees into the heart.”
?Be Kind and Sympathetic
“You know…my flower…I’m responsible for her. And she’s so weak! And so naive. She has four ridiculous thorns to defend her against the world…”
If we look and care for others we know cannot repay us, that’s one way to make the world better.
Proverbs 3:27 “Do not withhold good from those to whom you should give it. If it is within your power to help.“
World Book Day 2021: Our Little Prince books and some more
?The World doesn’t Revolve Around You
“But the conceited man did not hear him. Conceited people never hear anything but praise.”
We should always think others are better than us, or that we are not better than anyone. Having an important feeling about one’s self equals being selfish.
Romans 12:3 “…not to think more of himself than it is necessary to think.”
Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of contentiousness or out of egotism, but with humility consider others superior to you.”
?Each of Us is Hiding Something Beautiful Within
“What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well.”
The desert, to some can be boring, but to a person who seeks they might well find a well. Just like with people, the outer appearance and demeanor may be very well different from what a person actually is, but remember that we are created in God’s image.
Romans 1:20 “For his invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable.”
?Stop Judging
“It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself rightly, then you are indeed a man of true wisdom.“
For people to rely on personal opinion or preference and pass judgment means it could lead to their being judged adversely by the Supreme Judge, God.
Matthew 7:1 “STOP judging that you may not be judged.”
?Investing Time is The Best Thing You Can Give Someone or Something
“It’s the time you spent on your rose that makes your rose so important…People have forgotten this truth, but you mustn’t forget it. You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed. You’re responsible for your rose.”
Time spent with someone or something you love is never wasted. (The original saying is about cats.) ? To give those you love time is getting know them, getting close to them, and getting intertwined with their lives for as long you live. And in the end, time isn’t wasted because it was your life that you lived loving and living for something. Make it your aim to look for that precious treasure that you should spend time on, and reap its rewards in the not so distant future.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Fear the true God and keep his commandments. For this is the whole obligation of man.”
Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
What’s your pick for World Book Day 2021? We’d be happy to know!
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