Hated the narrator on the audio book.

I read this as a child. As an adult, it felt too moralistic. The note at the end of my version explains that the author was born in 1826, so while the publication date is 1983, it is, as it says on the verso, a reprint.

I would've liked this better if the narrative voice was a little less intrusive. The narrator/author tells us that this originated as an oral bedtime story for her daughter, and the style very much reflects that. It actually reminded me quite a lot of the episodic tales that my mother told me as a very small child. That made be feel warmly toward the story in general, but as an adult, I still found it a bit... hmm, not quite condescending, but perhaps a bit too... instructive?

The prince of the story is orphaned in infancy, and worse, partially paralyzed due to an accident. His uncle seizes his rightful throne, and has the boy imprisoned in a remote tower, with only a criminal nursemaid for company. But what no one knows about is the boy's (fairy?) godmother, who gifts him with a magic traveling cloak and some words of wisdom.

His cloak (a symbol for the power of imagination?) allows him to learn about the world, to such a degree that when the time comes for him to claim his rightful place as a just ruler, he is able to rise to the occasion... ( )

I went to Art Park back in the 80s, an outdoor theater-on-the-grass, to see a musical of The Little Prince. I was like, “Wait a minute, this isn’t the story! What’s with all the planets?” Silly me. It was an adaptation of the Little Prince called The Little Prince and the Aviator, and not what I was thinking at all. The book I loved was The Little Lame Prince by Miss Mulock (Dinah Maria Mulock Craik). My copy is by M. A. Donohue & Co. and has no copyright date. I'm guessing circa 1914 based on the dates of the publishers other books listed in the ad at the back of my book (at 40¢ each). I had no idea when I read it that it was originally published in 1875.

A bumbling nurse drops the baby prince on his christening day and cripples him. His fairy godmother sees it happen. The Queen dies, then the King dies, and his Uncle locks him in the tower where he stays for 15 years. A depressing story, now that I think of it, until his godmother brings him a magic cloak. With it he is able to travel all over the world. As he grows he is told that he is the true King. When the wicked Uncle dies the people find out that the Prince is not dead as they had been told and becomes the King. Anyway, typical Victorian gloom and doom writing. I did love the idea of a magic traveling cloak, but I think what I got out of it was the handicap child’s ability to overcome adversity, although most likely not the intention of the author. This was the first read alone chapter book I read as a child that had tragedy and death so it had quite the impact on me.

It is part of my top five all time favorite books listed here http://historysleuth.org/2013/03/childhood-books-shape-your-life/ ( )

http://quettandil.blogspot.com/2009/09/little-lame-prince.html ( )