The Little Prince: Cover Re-Design

Explanation:

            On the original cover of The Little Prince, I feel that the author fails to capture much of what the book is about, and thought it could use a makeover. In my new cover, I attempted to incorporate more of the themes and symbols of the book, giving a better representation of the story.

            On my cover I include one of my favorite themes of the book, “Anything essential is invisible to the eyes” (63). When the Prince came down to earth and saw a garden full of roses identical to his, he felt upset by the fact that his wasn’t unique. He then came across a fox who taught him what it meant to be tamed. The fox showed him that it wasn’t about how beautiful or magnificent something is, its about the time you spend with it and put into it. This time creates a connection that can’t be seen. This reassured the prince and caused him to realize that all the other roses weren’t like his flower. He had spent days watering, protecting and talking to his flower. This love he had for it made it one hundred times more special than any other flower. My cover depicts the Little Prince standing in a field of flowers, but staring up at the one on his planet. It symbolizes the love and invisible connection he has with his flower although it is the same as all others.

            My cover also has some minor symbols that tie into the story. One for example is the four thorns on the Little Prince’s flower. These thorns stand as a symbol of childlike naivety in the book. The flower, “alluding to her four thorns, remarked to the little prince, ‘I’m ready for tigers, with all their claws!’ ” (23). This false sense of strength is a common trait in children, and despite the roses confidence, even a smaller animal such as a rabbit would devour her. This false sense of security can also be seen as a defense mechanism to counteract the roses low self-esteem. This is a trait more found in adults known as an inferiority complex. These two traits, which come from people of different maturity levels, help to represent one of the major themes of the book in the conflict between children and adults.

            My covers overall mood conveys a sense of longing in the Little Prince in which he wants to go back home. This is due to the fact that the Little Prince loves his planet and is responsible for it. He says, “You know…my flower… I’m responsible for her and she’s so weak” (80). This responsibility and love the Little Prince has for his planet draws him back. It also causes his to like looking at the sky. He explains to the pilot, “you, though, you’ll have stars like nobody else” (77). As the Little Prince plans to leave, the Pilot is saddened, but the Little Prince explains that he’ll be up with the stars, and that whenever the pilot is feeling down, just looking at the stars, knowing the Prince is up there will cheer him up. This is similar to how the Little Prince feels, knowing his home, and his beloved flower wait for him to return home while he is so far away.

            Overall in my new cover I look to convey a better sense of what the story is about. I try to include themes of love as well as symbols that, when the reader finishes with the book, they can look at and be reminded of their importance.