Activity Proper Exercise 1. Read the text and answer the following questions on your answer sheet. "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is a classic that has been passed down from generation to generation since it was published in 1943. This children's tale is more than a book for kids; "The Little Prince" is a lesson for life. The simple tale tells the story of a child, the little prince, who travels the universe gaining wisdom. The narrator introduces himself as a man who learned when he was a child that adults lack imagination and understanding. He is now a pilot who has crash-landed in a desert. He encounters a small boy who asks him for a drawing of a sheep, and the narrator obliges. The narrator, who calls the child the little prince, learns that the boy comes from a very small planet. Over the course of the next few days, the little prince tells the narrator about his life. I read this book my freshman year of high school for summer reading. I can't believe it took me that long to read it. Everyone should read Saint-Exupery's unforgettable story because it is timeless, it teaches you a valuable lesson about caring for others, and it is easy to read. "The Little Prince" is a timeless tale because it touches upon childhood, imagination and the inevitability of growing up. The pilot in this story loses touch with that part of himself. It takes a plane-crash, a stay in the desert and some time with the little prince to find it again. While reading this story as a high school student, I never felt that it was written purely for kids. In fact, I reread it often and take away more messages each time. One part of the book that sticks out to me is the piece with the rose. The little prince cares as best as he can for this very demanding rose. But he learns a bigger lesson than the few things he did to take care of her. He learns: "It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important." I can't help but apply that same concept to various parts of my life, especially when I feel like I've lost something I cared about. No matter how old you are, "The Little Prince" is a great story to read. You can read it to yourself or share it with your kids. It's a wonderful way to bond through reading. You can even talk about it with friends and family who've read it. Plus, it's awesome to casually slip in a reference to the story and see who catches it. Antoine de Saint-Exupery's children's book "The Little Prince" is a must-read if you haven't already. What is vour favorite part? When did vou first read it? 1. What is the text about? 2. What do you think is the author's purpose in writing the text? 3. Is the given text an example of a book review or article critique? Justify by identifying the features found in the text. 4. What is the focus of the analysis of the text? Did it focus on the setting, character, themes, etc.? Prove your answer by mentioning some lines and explaining them. 5. If you were to improve this text, what feature (s) will you add or remove from the given text?

The Little Prince a novel written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is considered one of the classics in literature. It was the subject of numerous scholarly articles like book reviews, seminar talks, and motivational conferences. The novel has gone a long way and has left a permanent mark as part of the canon in literature. It can be gleaned upon that the text provided is a critical review of the novel, The Little Prince, looking at the crucial points of the elements. The review also served as a reflective essay of the author about his or her insights in reading the book. 

Step-by-step explanation

Note to the student: The suggested answers and explanations below are based on the provided text and on the general knowledge about the book in context, The Little Prince. Furthermore, the suggested answers and explanations below are based on the assumption that the writer of the text provided is a student who has read the book and reviewed the novel as part of an academic task. It was also not specified whether the task or assignment provided is intended for a paper or an essay but the suggested answers and explanations are a good starting point should your teacher require you to write an essay or a critical paper. I also opted to include a discussion about writing book reviews and/or critique papers as the text provided is it is connected to the content and context of the task. A list of references for further reading and elaboration is also provided below. I hope this helps. I wish you all the best of luck!

      A book(article) review and book (article) critique are often used interchangeably by a lot of students and writers. Both share the same feature as a critical evaluation of a book's or article's content and purpose by looking at the different elements and features of the literary piece. On the other hand, a book/article review and a book/article critique are different from each other in terms of the expertise and experience of the writers. A book/article review is written by anyone who has taken an interest in a particular literary piece or content while a book/article critique is written by someone who is an expert in the relevant field related to the literary piece or content. Furthermore, a book/article review is bound to be subjective and reflective in nature while a book/article critique is objective and scholarly in nature. 

1. What is the text about? The text is presumed to be written by a student or a person who has taken a particular interest in the book, The Little Prince. The author of the text has given a comprehensive overview or synopsis of the book in the first paragraph. Narrating and describing the context as to when he or she has started to take an interest in the book as one of the classic and most endearing children's tales he or she has read. Added to this, the text also conveys the writer's experience and insights in reading the book. The writer also added some important points in the book that he or she was able to apply in real-life experiences. 

2. What do you think is the author's purpose in writing the text? Based on the content of the text, the author's main purpose is to give a personal review of the book, The Little Prince.  This is evidenced by the narration of the author's experience in reading the book written in the second paragraph. See the excerpt below:

         I read this book my freshman year of high school for summer reading. I can't believe it took me that long to read it. Everyone should read Saint-Exupery's unforgettable story because it is timeless, it teaches you a valuable lesson about caring for others, and it is very easy to read. 

The lines above explicitly expressed the author's strong recommendation to the readers to read the book because of its value as a literary piece. The succeeding paragraphs supported the author's recommendation by yielding various reasons for reading the book. 

3. Is the given text an example of a book review or article critique? Justify by identifying the features found in the text.  The text is an example of a book review. Let's analyze the features of the provided text by looking at the features of a book review first. A book review has the following features: 

• the author describes, analyzes, and evaluates a work;
• the author gives comments on the quality of the work; and
• the author gives an overall impression and personal opinions. 

       The features of a book review were evident in the text provided. The author described, analyzed, and evaluated the book, The Little Prince, by giving a synopsis of the book in the 1st paragraph and an analysis and evaluation of the work in the third paragraph. See the following excerpt: 

         The Little Prince is a timeless tale because it touches upon childhood, imagination, and the inevitability of growing up...While reading this story, I never felt that it was written purely for kids. In fact, I reread it often and take away more messages each time. 

        The excerpt given above mentioned the author's comments on the quality of the work by using the word "timeless" to describe the story. He or she further supported this by giving his or her overall impression and personal opinions in the last two lines. 

4. What is the focus of the analysis of the text? Did it focus on the setting, character, themes, etc.? Prove your answer by mentioning some lines and explaining them. The text focused on the analysis of the theme and content of the story but the author also provided his or her personal opinion about the character, specifically about the rose.  The following lines below showed the author's focus on the theme and content of the book by mentioning that the story teaches the readers a valuable lesson about caring for others and that the novel is very easy to read. The succeeding paragraphs supported the author's analysis of the content and them as he or she described important points of the story. 

   I read this book my freshman year of high school for summer reading. I can't believe it took me that long to read it. Everyone should read Saint-Exupery's unforgettable story because it is timeless, it teaches you a valuable lesson about caring for others, and it is very easy to read. 

    On the other hand, a short analysis of the character, the rose, is mentioned in the following excerpt:

      One part of the book that sticks out to me is the piece with the rose. The little prince cares as best as he can for this very demanding rose. But he learns a bigger lesson than the few things he did to take care of her.

      The excerpt above mentioned the rose and the little prince as characters but the author mainly focused on their contribution to the impact of the story's theme and content. 

5. If you were to improve this text, what feature(s) will you add or remove from the given text? If you, as a student, are to improve the text you might want to add analysis and evaluation of the characters' roles in the story like the Snake, the Fox, and the Lamplighter among others who also have significant roles in the theme and content of the book. Added to this, analysis and evaluation of the characters will enhance the book review's relevance to the readers as this will provide them with important information about the other lessons presented in the book through these characters. 

Reference list for further reading and elaboration:

Writing a Book Critique. https://www.avondale.edu.au/Departments/Library/Writing-a-Book-Critique.pdf

The Little Prince: An Analysis. https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/littleprince/themes/

Difference Between Critique and Review. https://pediaa.com/difference-between-critique-and-review/