Montreal helping kids discover space though the eyes of ‘The Little Prince’
Posted April 29, 2025 12:16 pm.
Last Updated April 29, 2025 5:09 pm.
The BIG questions that young readers might ask themselves about the universe are being answered through an “out of this world” collaboration in Montreal.
Simple explanations of the cosmos can now be found in the new “Discover Space with the Little Prince” documentary book.
The adventure of this iconic character, written by a Montrealer, and the space facts — all validated by Olivier Hernandez, an astrophysicist and director of the Montreal Planetarium.
“It’s a beautiful book because it goes from the solar system to the universe,” he explained. “This is such a strong moment for me in my life to be part of this collaboration.”
Hernandez fell in love with space when he first saw Saturn’s rings through a telescope.
And he hopes children experience that same wonder when reading this book.
For over 80 years, the philosophical tale of The Little Prince has been passed on from generation to generation.
And PAPP International – a Montreal-based children’s publishing house that is home to beloved characters like Caillou — got the global ancillary publishing rights for The Little Prince a few years ago.
Now, they get to introduce the beloved character to the world through different formats.
“It could have been done in France also,” said Hernandez. “But it has been done in Montreal.”
“It means a lot for us, for Montreal.”
Did you know?
The moon is the only place in space that humans have traveled to.
We went there for the first time in 1969 with the Apollo 11 mission.
That is one of the many interesting facts included in the book that took about 18 months to create – which also has some pages that yes, glow-in-the-dark.
“It’s like you’re mixing the beauty of the cosmos with a very beautiful book,” said the author, Corinne Delporte. “It’s really amazing.”
“I’m really so happy about it,” she added.
“It’s really nice to have this collaboration with the Planetarium of Montreal,” said George Papp, CEO of PAPP International. “It really adds a nice legitimacy to the content of the book.”
From the name of stars to how to explain the greatness of the universe, every scientific fact was validated by Hernandez.
Helping children understand concepts that may seem “out of this world” through the eyes of The Little Prince.
“It was an amazing collaboration,” he said. “I’m very proud of it.”
