Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Everyman's Library (2011), Edition: Illustrated, 208 pages
Description
Pinocchio, a wooden puppet full of tricks and mischief, with a talent for getting into and out of trouble, wants more than anything else to become a real boy.
Media reviews
What del Toro, who has spoken of a lifelong fascination with Pinocchio, doubtless recognizes, and what Garrone as a cultured Italian would not need to be told, is that the original story is a work of considerable complexity, comparable to “Alice in Wonderland” or “Gulliver’s Travels” and
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much darker than Disney’s cheery fable about the price of youthful mendacity.... The moral of the story, then, is not that children should always tell the truth, but that education is paramount, enabling both liberation from a life of brutal toil, and, more important, self-awareness and a sense of duty to others. The true message of “The Adventures” is that, until you open yourself to knowledge and your fellow human beings, you will remain a puppet forever — other people will continue to pull your strings. And what, in these increasingly authoritarian times, could be more ardently relevant than that? Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member jseger9000
I first wanted to read Pinocchio after seeing the 1970’s Italian animated movie A Puppet Named Pinocchio. It was much more faithful to the book than the Disney movie we are all most familiar with, much darker than what Disney showed me (not that I'm dumping on Disney's classic movie).
I think it's
His adventures are varied and always interesting and surprisingly dark. Pinocchio is a true a children’s book. While Disney was very good at giving parents what they think their children want: colorful characters, singing, magic and a puppet that was a clean-cut all-American boy. Carlo Collodi gives kids what they really want: very scary, life-threatening situations, shady characters and a puppet who starts off as a very bad and selfish boy. There are important lessons to be learned here and it is the journey that does the teaching. Though the ending is the same, in the book the reward feels more genuine and deserved rather than saccharine.
As an adult reader, I did have a number of issues with the book. It was originally written as a series of short stories, published in a children's newspaper. It might be better to think of them as 'episodes'. There's a certain formula that many of the chapters follow: This time, Pinocchio has learned his lesson. Then an opportunity comes up. Pinocchio follows it. A character (often an animal) will appear and warn Pinocchio. He ignores the advice and trouble ensues. Pinocchio doesn't seem to grow as a character. Also from time-to-time, the book will stop to summarize everything that has happened before. As a result the 'chapters' tend to feel repetitive after a while. It also makes the book feel overly preachy (though I suppose that was part of the point of the book).
However, I do remember reading and loving the book as a child. I did notice some of those issues even then, but they don't drag the book down. I think more kids should read the book today. Parents will feel hesitant because of the book's at times unrelentingly dark tone, but realistically, that helps draw the reader in. While following Pinocchio on his scary adventures, they will also learn to respect their parents, not to take what they have for granted and the value of both a good education and hard work. Not a bad thing for kids to read if you don't want them to turn in to donkeys.
I think it's
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safe to say that everyone is familiar with Pinocchio: Gepetto, an old wood-carver creates a puppet that is alive. Pinocchio (which, the book explains, stands for ‘pine cone’) is a willful, mischievous and naughty child, but he has a good heart and wants to become a real boy.His adventures are varied and always interesting and surprisingly dark. Pinocchio is a true a children’s book. While Disney was very good at giving parents what they think their children want: colorful characters, singing, magic and a puppet that was a clean-cut all-American boy. Carlo Collodi gives kids what they really want: very scary, life-threatening situations, shady characters and a puppet who starts off as a very bad and selfish boy. There are important lessons to be learned here and it is the journey that does the teaching. Though the ending is the same, in the book the reward feels more genuine and deserved rather than saccharine.
As an adult reader, I did have a number of issues with the book. It was originally written as a series of short stories, published in a children's newspaper. It might be better to think of them as 'episodes'. There's a certain formula that many of the chapters follow: This time, Pinocchio has learned his lesson. Then an opportunity comes up. Pinocchio follows it. A character (often an animal) will appear and warn Pinocchio. He ignores the advice and trouble ensues. Pinocchio doesn't seem to grow as a character. Also from time-to-time, the book will stop to summarize everything that has happened before. As a result the 'chapters' tend to feel repetitive after a while. It also makes the book feel overly preachy (though I suppose that was part of the point of the book).
However, I do remember reading and loving the book as a child. I did notice some of those issues even then, but they don't drag the book down. I think more kids should read the book today. Parents will feel hesitant because of the book's at times unrelentingly dark tone, but realistically, that helps draw the reader in. While following Pinocchio on his scary adventures, they will also learn to respect their parents, not to take what they have for granted and the value of both a good education and hard work. Not a bad thing for kids to read if you don't want them to turn in to donkeys.
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LibraryThing member the_hag
I have to say, my only previous experience with the story of Pinocchio is through the Disney classic cartoon…and boy is this a LOT different than the Disney version! I’m not saying that’s a bad thing…far from it in fact, I was just surprised at how selfish and, well…disobedient this
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little wooden boy was. In this book, Pinnochio isn’t a naive boy who gets led astray; he’s a selfish, lying, bad-tempered puppet who (for the most part) can’t see past his own immediate wants and needs. He constantly makes bad decisions based on spur of the moment desires without thinking about any long term implications. Naturally, he’s apologetic and supremely sorry when he gets caught or something bad happens to himself or others as a result of his actions, but he doesn’t seem to learn very quickly from these lessons and must repeat them many, many times before he finally “gets it.” Similarly, Geppetto isn’t 100% of the time a kindly old man; he too has his moments of anger with Pinocchio’s behavior. Even the Blue Fairy isn’t as kindly and beneficent as Disney made her…she too isn’t above pulling a nasty prank or two to show Pinnochio the error of his ways. I think these personality elements resonate with young readers…I think we can all admit that most children push the limits, do things they know they are not supposed to and generally find disobeying to be more fun than obeying (at least at times)…and in that way, Pinocchio is the embodiment childhood. He does all the things they’ve been told not to and reaps the rewards or pays the price for it! I think that is what makes this a timeless classic that has been loved for generations. I think that there are a lot of dark humor and plot points in this book (the blue fairy’s death, Geppetto’s getting lost as sea, the attempted assassination of Pinocchio, etc.), that it’s effective and riveting (especially for young readers) and enjoyable…it also makes his final transformation into a real boy all the more rewarding when it finally happens. I have to admit I enjoyed reading this far more than ever enjoyed watching the Disney cartoon version. Overall, it’s a rich, dark, and sometimes humorous tale that is illustrated wonderfully in this version by Gus Grimly. I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys reading the non-sanitized versions of Grimm’s Fairy Tales (and other similar stories). It has all the familiar plot elements of the one we grew up watching (in America, at least) but is a much darker story than Disney gave us. I give it 4 stars and I would definitely buy it for my permanent library. Show Less
LibraryThing member janeajones
The NYRB's translation of Collodi's Pinocchio by Geoffrey Brock is wonderfully readable. Had it a few more illustrations, it would be a great gift for an elementary -- middle-school child or even better, a book to read to one. As most Americans, I knew Pinocchio from Disney's film, and the book is
The book was originally published in serial episodes, and each adventure could easily be read as a bedtime story. For an adolescent or adult reader who has never read the original, this is a first-rate translation. It's a first-rate translation for children too, but it would be so much better with either the original illustrations or ones done particularly for this translation.
Brock's translation is contemporary and humorous, as is Eco's preface. On the other hand, the afterword commentary by Rebecca West is somewhat clunky if informative. She basically summarizes the prevailing critical views of the book and discourses rather lengthily on the changes Disney made to the tale.
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not nearly as distant from Disney as I thought it might be. Certainly, the adventures have been somewhat modified, and Disney's Pinocchio is more childlike than Collodi's scampish puppet, but both reveal the dark dangers of the world and the belief that a good heart will ultimately reveal humanity. Both Eco and West make much of the difference between Collodi's fairy with sky blue hair and Disney's blue fairy -- claiming that the former is far mysterious and representative of multiple aspects of the feminine -- I didn't find the gap between the two so wide. The book was originally published in serial episodes, and each adventure could easily be read as a bedtime story. For an adolescent or adult reader who has never read the original, this is a first-rate translation. It's a first-rate translation for children too, but it would be so much better with either the original illustrations or ones done particularly for this translation.
Brock's translation is contemporary and humorous, as is Eco's preface. On the other hand, the afterword commentary by Rebecca West is somewhat clunky if informative. She basically summarizes the prevailing critical views of the book and discourses rather lengthily on the changes Disney made to the tale.
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LibraryThing member twright3
This is among the more existential works in children's literature, and should make us all reconsider what children's literature can be. I was turned on to reading the Collodi version by Auster's analysis of it in The Invention of Solitude.
LibraryThing member epithet
I don't own this copy but I want to. It took me 2 months of a chapter a day to struggle through the original. I suggest it frequently.
LibraryThing member kakkerman
A little inaccessible for children. I think it has become a children's story over the years, rather than a moral tale for adults.
LibraryThing member bzedan
This is a classically Grimm-violent story. It's like a bunch of little vignettes, really. And pleasantly bizarro, just as a kid's tale should be. I like that it opens with a talking piece of wood. No explanations necessary, really. There's just this log that is sentient. Whatevs, am I right?
LibraryThing member thmazing
I've never read the book, don't much like the Disney film, and missed Coppola's when it came out. But Pinocchio is even crazier than I imagined. The book is unhinged, barely manages to keep itself under control as it careens through a mad world of fairies and sharks and puppets and whatever else
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happened to pass within five blocks of Collodi's imagination. Like Unberto Eco says in his intro, this book bares little resemblance to its Disney progenitor, but that's okay with me. This weird and wild book was a fun pass and one I'll be happy to pass to my kids when they're reading on their own. A good translation. Show Less
LibraryThing member Osbaldistone
[LT early reviewer - This review is of the NYRB advanced uncorrected proof of the 2008 Geoffrey Brock translation]
It’s fun (and rare) to have the opportunity to read the original form of a story that has made the transition to folk tale. Most of western culture has grown up with this story in
I’m a bit hesitant to ‘review’ Collodi’s work, as it has been reviewed, revered, critiqued, and studied for 100 years. It’s also difficult to critique a translation if one is not familiar with the original language version, or with other translations. Even so, I offer my comments as one new to the work.
First, the translation: Being an advanced proof, I don’t have access to any introductory comments by the translator, and don’t know if any will appear in the final published edition. Brock seems to have tried to present a modern English translation that uses everyday American English for Pinocchio and his acquaintances in their speech. And, when he succeeds in this, he presents a very readable and enjoyable Pinocchio. He also seems to have decided to leave the narrator’s voice in the Victorian era – a bit formal and stilted sounding to the modern American ear, with a mix of familiar and not so familiar expressions and vocabulary. This has the effect of giving the reader a feel for the work as it was originally written – Collodi’s voice, perhaps? I found the combination of these two approaches to work surprisingly well. Pinocchio and his acquaintances seem accessible (familiar, even) to the reader, while the ‘folk tale’ feel of the story is preserved. My only complaint about the translation is that Brock doesn’t seem to consistently maintain the modern American English ‘voice’ in the spoken parts. For example, most of the time, these characters use common contractions (I’m, I’ll, let’s, etc.) but occasionally, Brock has them speaking in a more stilted, contraction-free ‘voice’. The change can be jarring. Pinocchio’s schoolmate Eugenio says “Oh Mother – I am dying”. On the same page, Pinocchio says “I’m too stubborn” and “I’ve never had fifteen minutes of peace”. The difference seems off. This may seem like a minor criticism, but when the narrator sounds like an ancient storyteller, the inconsistent voice of characters seems to be lost between the two styles.
Now, about Collodi’s story itself. I know this is a classic, beloved by millions for a century, but I found the story a bit hard to stay with. Yes, I love the overall plot and many of the incidents in the story, but Collodi seems to use unnecessarily wild and incredible constructions to explain why (or why not) certain events happened as they do. They often sound made up on the spot. This may be somewhat the result of the original serialized form – perhaps Collodi ended one episode, and then, upon writing the following episode(s), had to construct a way to explain or avoid inconsistencies. In any case, it leads to some odd bits interjected into an otherwise fun tale.
Overall, worth the read for anyone interested in a peak at the origins of what has become part of our culture, and a good (but not great) translation. And I’d guess that the under 8 set would enjoy it regardless, though illustrations would be nice.
Os.
It’s fun (and rare) to have the opportunity to read the original form of a story that has made the transition to folk tale. Most of western culture has grown up with this story in
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some form, but most of us, I suspect, have never read (or even is aware of) the original novel by Carlo Collodi. This alone is enough reason to read this short book.I’m a bit hesitant to ‘review’ Collodi’s work, as it has been reviewed, revered, critiqued, and studied for 100 years. It’s also difficult to critique a translation if one is not familiar with the original language version, or with other translations. Even so, I offer my comments as one new to the work.
First, the translation: Being an advanced proof, I don’t have access to any introductory comments by the translator, and don’t know if any will appear in the final published edition. Brock seems to have tried to present a modern English translation that uses everyday American English for Pinocchio and his acquaintances in their speech. And, when he succeeds in this, he presents a very readable and enjoyable Pinocchio. He also seems to have decided to leave the narrator’s voice in the Victorian era – a bit formal and stilted sounding to the modern American ear, with a mix of familiar and not so familiar expressions and vocabulary. This has the effect of giving the reader a feel for the work as it was originally written – Collodi’s voice, perhaps? I found the combination of these two approaches to work surprisingly well. Pinocchio and his acquaintances seem accessible (familiar, even) to the reader, while the ‘folk tale’ feel of the story is preserved. My only complaint about the translation is that Brock doesn’t seem to consistently maintain the modern American English ‘voice’ in the spoken parts. For example, most of the time, these characters use common contractions (I’m, I’ll, let’s, etc.) but occasionally, Brock has them speaking in a more stilted, contraction-free ‘voice’. The change can be jarring. Pinocchio’s schoolmate Eugenio says “Oh Mother – I am dying”. On the same page, Pinocchio says “I’m too stubborn” and “I’ve never had fifteen minutes of peace”. The difference seems off. This may seem like a minor criticism, but when the narrator sounds like an ancient storyteller, the inconsistent voice of characters seems to be lost between the two styles.
Now, about Collodi’s story itself. I know this is a classic, beloved by millions for a century, but I found the story a bit hard to stay with. Yes, I love the overall plot and many of the incidents in the story, but Collodi seems to use unnecessarily wild and incredible constructions to explain why (or why not) certain events happened as they do. They often sound made up on the spot. This may be somewhat the result of the original serialized form – perhaps Collodi ended one episode, and then, upon writing the following episode(s), had to construct a way to explain or avoid inconsistencies. In any case, it leads to some odd bits interjected into an otherwise fun tale.
Overall, worth the read for anyone interested in a peak at the origins of what has become part of our culture, and a good (but not great) translation. And I’d guess that the under 8 set would enjoy it regardless, though illustrations would be nice.
Os.
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LibraryThing member Prop2gether
New version of a classic tale: I enjoyed the rereading of this story as much as my first reading as a child. Pinocchio is such a typical "bratty" little boy until he has his adventures, that it is a delight when he gets his wish to be a real boy.
LibraryThing member Josh_Hanagarne
demented, wonderful, awesome art. Pinocchio is not the story that Disney told you. Chapter titles like "Pinocchio" gets hanged abound.
LibraryThing member salenawolfgoddess
It's about Pinocchio's life from when he was carved to when he becomes a real boy. However, this disobedient little puppet goes from misfortune to misfortune as he must decide between things like school and a puppet show and school and Playland. He is also hung from a tree, swallowed by a giant
Even though I grew up with the Disney movie version of Pinocchio I quite liked this novel version because the storyline is a little different and it gives a little more depth to Pinocchio's character. All in all a cute, rewarding story.
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shark, robbed and chased by assassins. Thanks to help from his father and his friend the fairy he mends his ways and his dream comes true.Even though I grew up with the Disney movie version of Pinocchio I quite liked this novel version because the storyline is a little different and it gives a little more depth to Pinocchio's character. All in all a cute, rewarding story.
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LibraryThing member jfoster_sf
I was extremely disappointed with this book. This is a book written with the sole purpose of scaring naughty boys and girls into behaving. There was a lot of violence for no reason--the opening scene has two grown men disagreeing about something and solving it by getting into a fistfight (twice in
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the same conversation!). Even disregarding the fighting, this book held no interest for me whatsoever. Show Less
LibraryThing member Stbalbach
Pinocchio! (said with an Italian accent and lots of hand waiving). It is considered a "novel of education", a fun childrens story with values communicated through allegory. The values are very "middle class" as Italy became a nation-state in the 19th century: do not follow schemes of the fox and
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cat to get rich (ie. thieving upper class) but instead work honestly for your money; get an education so you are not treated like an ass (mule working class). Like the "Decameron", it follows the Florentine, Italy tradition of folk novella's -- like a hybred of the "Decameron", "Alice in Wonderland" and "Mother Goose". Disney made a film in 1940 that is considered a masterpiece of animation and is part of the National Film Registery, although only loosely based on the novel, the image of "Jiminy Cricket" and "Blue Fairy" are now a part of modern mythology. Show Less
LibraryThing member Afsolove
From the moment Geppetto first carves him out of a piece of wood, the puppet Pinocchio is a trouble-maker. He doesn’t want to go to school or learn a trade. It is only after many zany misadventures—involving trickster cats, giant snails, and a cricket whom Pinocchio attacks with a wooden
The Adventures of Pinocchio is an unforgettable classic. Collodi's novel includes a rich commentary on growing-up and taking responsibility completely overlooked in the Disney story with which most of us are more familiar. In his slow quest to become a real boy, the puppet Pinocchio learns what it truly means to be free.
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mallet—that Pinocchio begins to realize that being a puppet isn’t enough.The Adventures of Pinocchio is an unforgettable classic. Collodi's novel includes a rich commentary on growing-up and taking responsibility completely overlooked in the Disney story with which most of us are more familiar. In his slow quest to become a real boy, the puppet Pinocchio learns what it truly means to be free.
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LibraryThing member Smiler69
I borrowed this one from the library to have a look at Roberto Innocenti's work, which I've admired in another book called Rose Blanche. His highly detailed watercolour illustrations are a thing to behold, and imbued with both a sense of realism and real poetry, a combination very rarely achieved
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successfully in visual arts. The story itself was filled with surprises. I must have only been exposed to the Disney version in my childhood, because the original by Carlo Collodi was so filled with twist and turns, violence, unfortunate adventures, and reversals of fate, that it stretched credulity beyond the limit. At times the didactic aspect of the story that the author never fails to drive home became truly annoying, but there's no denying the tale of a puppet who wished more than anything to become a boy is highly original. Show Less
LibraryThing member jasonlf
Enjoyable, if a little repetitive. It's hard to read it through anything other than the Disney version, but it is reasonably different--including a Pinocchio who is meaner and more problem ridden (e.g., within the first few pages he hits the cricket with a hammer), a cat/wolf that are more
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persistent and interesting than the Disney ones, and an even more moving ending about how Pinocchio finally becomes a boy. Show Less
LibraryThing member LarraChersan
Although it is an old story, it still catching and a good read. I sometimes had some problems, since some of the sentences had a (to me) strange structure, but all in all I had no problems reading the book.
Maybe not for smaller children (in newer edition it should be better), but for everyone else
Maybe not for smaller children (in newer edition it should be better), but for everyone else
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this is a nice book, especially with the illustrations, that run along nicely with the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member marsap
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio a marionette; and his poor father, a woodcarver named Geppetto. Pinocchio was created as a wooden puppet but dreamed of becoming a real boy. Its main theme is
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that of a naughty child who must learn to be good, not just for his own sake but for the sake of others around him too. The thing to keep in mind is that this is not your Disney’s Pinocchio. This classic flirts with death and disasters that Pinocchio can’t seem to stay away from. At various points in the story Pinocchio is hung from a tree until he dies, he bites a cat's paw off, his leg is caught in a bear trap, he gets arrested and he is turned into a donkey. Oh My! Despite this and the moral lessons being “taught”—the adventures are really quite fun. Despite some of moralizing and the gruesomeness of the story I found myself really liking this tale. 4 out of 5 stars. Show Less
LibraryThing member Barb_H
I read the ebook version from the library. This story was so cute and so well written. It reminded me of my childhood when I'd watch the movie and listen to my little record of the soundtrack. It has such a good moral lesson too.
LibraryThing member Gold_Gato
Greg Hildebrandt's tremendous illustrations accompany this edition of the children's classic, and the art brings the wooden boy to life on its own. There are twenty-one full color paintings with colors that simply dash out at you. This volume is the Little Unicorn edition, which means the original
Sized for small hands
Book Season = Winte
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story is abridged so the illustrations can take center stage. Simply wonderful. This book begs for a cold cloudless night and a hot steaming mug of hot cocoa.Sized for small hands
Book Season = Winte
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LibraryThing member matthewbloome
On the whole, this has to be the least satisfying classic I've read over the past couple of months. I genuinely disliked nearly every character in the book, with special emphasis on Pinocchio. I was rooting for the fireplace rather than the real boy angle.
LibraryThing member auntieknickers
The book is better than the Disney movie -- which was still a good movie. I've also seen a wonderful theatrical production at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis. Another one I ought to reread.
LibraryThing member Nandakishore_Varma
It is always a dicey affair to criticise a popular book: and when it is an acknowledged classic for children, it is even more dangerous. So I agonised a lot over my impressions of Pinocchio: Is it only a matter of personal taste? Am I missing something? Should I rethink my rating based on learned
This is one of those stories you read and love in comics format or abridged versions before you come into contact with the original. What usually happens is that, those adaptations modify and trim the original tale to suit the sensibilities of the current generation. I also read Pinocchio as a comic book and loved it; however, on reading the original, I find that many of the "creepier" elements had been edited out of that version.
I do not love moral fables for children. The type of story where, for example, the disobedient little lamb is gobbled up by the big, bad wolf, crying with his last breath: "Oh! If I had only listened to my mother!" is terrifying to kids (I speak from personal experience). They are equivalent to the posters of hell which some people were fond of hanging in their drawing rooms during my childhood. In the nineteenth century, when Collodi wrote his story, one can easily understand that this must have been an accepted method of keeping children in line: by frightening them out of their wits. I do not think the modern world will look kindly on that method.
It is not that creepiness by itself is bad. Many fairy tales are frightening, with their suggestions of cannibalism, patricide, incest, torture etc. The difference between the fairy tale and the moral fable is that the fairy tale is a live entity, growing, shrinking and changing shape while travelling from mouth to mouth; the messages are subliminal, interacting with the child's subconscious. The moral fable on the other hand, is "purposeful" - there is a message ("if you do this, then this will happen!") which the author wants to drum into the child's head, usually by using fear as a tool. It is the narrative equivalent of the schoolmaster's swishing cane.
Collodi's story, taken by itself, has many wonderful elements of dark fantasy (the huge Dogfish which swallows ships whole, the snake with a tail which smokes like a chimney, the little white man who converts boys to donkeys and sells them...) and could have made a wonderful fairy tale. However, the moralising on almost every page of what happens to bad boys who do not obey their parents, do not study and tell lies takes all the fun out of it: the voice of the narrator, coming out through various parental figures, becomes sickening.What crowned the whole thing for me was the death of poor Candlewick, Pinocchio's friend, after short life of back-breaking labour as a donkey. Yuck! . I was happy when the story ended.
I would recommend reading it to children with the morality edited out: but why bother? There are better books out there. Or let them read it as a comic book, or watch the Disney movie.
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opinions spanning more than a century? In the end, I decided to go with my original evaluation.This is one of those stories you read and love in comics format or abridged versions before you come into contact with the original. What usually happens is that, those adaptations modify and trim the original tale to suit the sensibilities of the current generation. I also read Pinocchio as a comic book and loved it; however, on reading the original, I find that many of the "creepier" elements had been edited out of that version.
I do not love moral fables for children. The type of story where, for example, the disobedient little lamb is gobbled up by the big, bad wolf, crying with his last breath: "Oh! If I had only listened to my mother!" is terrifying to kids (I speak from personal experience). They are equivalent to the posters of hell which some people were fond of hanging in their drawing rooms during my childhood. In the nineteenth century, when Collodi wrote his story, one can easily understand that this must have been an accepted method of keeping children in line: by frightening them out of their wits. I do not think the modern world will look kindly on that method.
It is not that creepiness by itself is bad. Many fairy tales are frightening, with their suggestions of cannibalism, patricide, incest, torture etc. The difference between the fairy tale and the moral fable is that the fairy tale is a live entity, growing, shrinking and changing shape while travelling from mouth to mouth; the messages are subliminal, interacting with the child's subconscious. The moral fable on the other hand, is "purposeful" - there is a message ("if you do this, then this will happen!") which the author wants to drum into the child's head, usually by using fear as a tool. It is the narrative equivalent of the schoolmaster's swishing cane.
Collodi's story, taken by itself, has many wonderful elements of dark fantasy (the huge Dogfish which swallows ships whole, the snake with a tail which smokes like a chimney, the little white man who converts boys to donkeys and sells them...) and could have made a wonderful fairy tale. However, the moralising on almost every page of what happens to bad boys who do not obey their parents, do not study and tell lies takes all the fun out of it: the voice of the narrator, coming out through various parental figures, becomes sickening.
I would recommend reading it to children with the morality edited out: but why bother? There are better books out there. Or let them read it as a comic book, or watch the Disney movie.
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LibraryThing member afrazier13
This is a book about a little wooden doll who is turned into a real boy. But when this happens there is something different about him. he cannot tell a lie without his nose growing. He learns throughout the book the more lies he tells the bigger his nose gets and he eventually realizes how much
I personally love this book because it has such a great moral to it. it is a great read but it really gets the point across about how serious lying can be. Its a great way to teach children a lesson on lying.
Children could make big fake noses and wear them around to see how different it is.
Children could role play on how hurtful lying is and why it is not okay.
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better it is to tell the truth.I personally love this book because it has such a great moral to it. it is a great read but it really gets the point across about how serious lying can be. Its a great way to teach children a lesson on lying.
Children could make big fake noses and wear them around to see how different it is.
Children could role play on how hurtful lying is and why it is not okay.
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Subjects
Awards
IBBY Honour Book (1996)
501 Must-Read Books (Emma Beare, 2006) (Children's Fiction)
CCBC Choices (1988)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1883-02-01
1881 (1e édition originale italienne sous forme de feuilleton dans le "Giornale per i bambini")
1883 (1e édition italienne en livre)
Jonathan Cape Ltd London
1996-07 (Réédition française, Gallimard jeunesse)
Physical description
208 p.; 8.2 inches
ISBN
0307597067 / 9780307597069
Other editions
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