This book is about 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. This book has notable features such as descriptive and colorful illustrations. I would use this book as an instructional application to introduce the topic of lying and why it is wrong. ( )

In the book Pinnochio, a marionette longs to become a real boy but can't seem to stay out of mischief long enough. He is skipping school, lying, and running away. With the aid of his conscience Jimmy Cricket this coming of age story shows how Pinnochio proves he is worthy of becoming a real boy.
This a great book to open a discussion in the classroom on topic of lying. Pinnochio goes through many struggles to become a good person worthy of becoming a "real boy" and children would react to this scenario. This story is a good foundation for open ended question and answers that revolve around this topic and a great lesson in the early education classroom.
Another activity that would be fun and educational is for the children to make a marionette. Give the children the materials to create their own marionette doll like the one in the book and see where the creation takes them. ( )

Genre: Fairytale
Media: water colors, paint
Critique: Pinocchio comes alive as a boy and realizes that when he does not tell the truth, his nose grows larger. This book has appropriate language and kid friendly illustrations that pulls the reader in to the book. ( )

Little Golden Books was one of my favorite series of books. Now these books were classics. Pinocchio was one of the best classic books there is. My mother told me that if I ever lied or told a tale that I would grow a long nose like Pinocchio. That definitely kept me from telling a fib. Pinocchio was a puppet that Mr. Japetto was a carpenter that built all sorts of toys and one day he made Pinocchio and had wished for a son. The godmother had granted Japetto's wish by making Pinocchio come alive, which was almost like having a real son. Although, anytime Pinocchio told a fib his nose would start to grow, it would stay that way until he told the truth. To make a long story short, Pinocchio and his little "conscious", Jimmy Cricket, go on an adventure to find a place where they both belong. It is the perfect book that will keep children entertained. ( )

It's interesting to read the Disney Golden Book version of Pinocchio right on the heals of original Collodi version. The Golden Book is a pared down version of an already pared down version. In their brevity, they both try to make a coherent story out of Collodi's rambling allegories.

Characters that survive the transition from Collodi to Disney are Pinocchio, Geppetto, the Blue Fairy, the cat and fox (renamed), the puppeteer (now named Stromboli), the cricket (now named Jiminy), and the giant ship eating sea creature (changed from a shark to a whale and named Monstro). Scenes that survive: the carving of Pinocchio, the initial meeting of Jiminy and Pinocchio, the puppet show, Pleasure Island (a new name), the rescue of Geppetto and Pinocchio's transformation.

Frankly I'm still not a fan of either version of Pinocchio. In the original, Pinocchio is unlovable and brings most of the trouble onto himself. In the Disney version, Pinocchio is naive but otherwise likeable. He ends up sacrificing so much of himself just to fit in by way of becoming a "real boy." ( )