In a beautifully illustrated story for adults that is playful,
philosophical, and with a wink of naughtiness, two characters--the
Not-So-Little-Prince and Prickly Pear--consider the nature of
happiness.
Much more than a tale of sweet indulgence, Prince in a Pastry Shop
touches on a fundamental question important to us all, from preschooler
to pensioner: what does it mean to be happy? Is happiness to be found in
the smallest, most visceral of experiences like eating a sugar-dusted
donut? Can we truly experience happiness while there is suffering in the
world? Is there a great cosmic balance that demands for every happy
moment there also be a moment of sorrow? Can we be happy knowing that
it's a fleeting condition? Can we really know and understand happiness
while we're experiencing it?
"Happiness is nothing but trouble," says the Prince. For Prickly Pear,
happiness simply tastes like a cupcake or profiterole.
Writer Marek Bieńczyk, the winner of the Nike prize, the most important
literature award in Poland, joins with the brilliant Polish illustrator
Joanna Concejo whose detailed pencil drawings create a wonderland, where
sitting at a café table morphs into a dreamscape with animals, a
borderland between waking and dreaming.
With a very light touch Prince in a Pastry Shop asks one of the most
profound questions of our existence: is it enough to appreciate each
moment of sweetness--and at what cost--or must we be active in an
unforgiving world to find contentment.
