A small mention of the boa constrictor devouring an elephant can remind you of a stranded aircraft pilot on the Sahara Desert and his little friend, a young prince, visiting the Earth. Antoine De Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince has been adapted into an abridged children’s book (Pratham Books) by Anushka Ravishankar, with illustrations by Priya Kuriyan. Apart from English, the book will be available in Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, and Tamil.

“I don’t remember many books from 40 years ago, but this is not a book one easily forgets,” says Ravishankar. She asserts that it has been part of the reading culture of the world. “The story has so many layers and messages that almost everyone can find a mirror in it. The thought that children are able to imagine and see things that adults cannot see has embedded itself into my world view,” she tells us.