Adventures of Pinocchio: Tale of a Puppet

The adventures of the wooden puppet boy whose nose grew whenever he told a lie

Grade 2-5-An idiomatic retelling of Collodi's didactic classic. While Mattotti's adaption hits all the high points of the original, readers are moved along too quickly through Pinocchio's sinister encounters with Stromboli (here called Fire-eater) and his puppet theater or the fox and the cat. Children don't have the opportunity to dwell on the satisfaction of seeing the recalcitrant puppet gradually change his ways. Also, the story is heavy: the fox and cat, after pretending to be lame and blind, end up in that condition; a cat has its paw bitten off; Pinocchio nearly dies rather than take his medicine; and four black rabbits bear his coffin into his bedroom. It's pretty fierce stuff for the bedtime-story set. The sinuous lines of the illustrations are overlaid with black crayonlike texture that reinforces the story's darkness. While some children may respond to the uniquely stylish artwork, they deserve the whole story, which is better served by Robert Innocenti's illustrations for E. Harden's translation of The Adventures of Pinocchio (Knopf, 1988).
Susan Hepler, Alexandria City Public Schools, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Most children today know Pinocchio as a cherub-faced Disney creation brought to life by a wish on a distant star. Adapted from Collodi's 1883 work, this sparkling edition reintroduces a much more intriguing hero--"a piece of wood with a mind of its own." Under the ministrations of the long-suffering Geppetto, this troublesome twig is refashioned into "a grand puppet." A brisk tale of adventure ensues, told with sly humor, merriness and a good dose of morality. Dynamic illustrations carry a suggestion of animation, while an unusual dappling technique adds a solid warmth. Pinocchio is depicted as a taper-nosed Pierrot, vacillating between hope and delusion as he rushes headlong from one bad decision to the next. With his unusually long proboscis, he is both a figure of fun and an endearing protagonist. Sometimes captured as a nightmare vision, always fantastical, a dreamy atmosphere suffuses this work, while carnival colors reinforce the sense of madcap adventure and fun. All ages.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 4-6, younger for reading aloud. The "true" story of the puppet who wanted to be a real boy will surprise those familiar with the popular Disney version. This abridged Pinocchio includes plot details missing from the animated film, more violence, and the blue fairy as a central character. The didacticism of the original is retained, but Mattotti's colorful paintings have enough style and dramatic impact to carry the reader to the final foregone conclusion. A good additional title for large comparative literature collections, this should provide a bridge for those who want the "real" story but are unable to tackle the original novel-length tale. Janice Del Negro