Pinocchio, adapted by Lorenzo Mattotti

by Carlo Collodi, Lorenzo Mattotti (Illustrator)

From the comic opening of a piece of uncarved wood already endowed with a personality all its own, to the drama of the final moment when Pinocchio rejoices over his transformation into a flesh-and-blood boy, this is a work of irresistible charm. Now freshly adapted from the original novel and illustrated with paintings by Lorenzo Mattotti that burst with drama and imagination, this sparkling picture-book edition is sure to be a favorite. Lorenzo Mattotti was born in Brescia, Italy. Schooled as an architect at the University of Venice, his real love is illustration and his artwork for children's books and periodicals is well known throughout Europe.

1 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Carlo Lorenzini, better known by the pen name Carlo Collodi, was an Italian children's writer known for the world-renowned fairy tale novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I realized my childhood memories of the tale of Pinocchio were far off from realty (at least from this version) after rereading this book. I remember the story being about a little puppet whose greatest desire was to be a real boy and whose nose grew when it told lies. After reading this, however, I believe the true topic of the story to be greed. This book details the life of a gullible puppet, Pinocchio, who because of his greed makes bad decision after bad decision. This leaves him in many dangerous and deadly situations. After every situation, he promises not to misbehave/ be greedy again and every time he ends up doing just that. Due to his misbehavior, he can't be a "real boy." His wish, however, is granted when he gives up his greedy and self serving ways in order to help his Papa and the Blue Fairy.

This book could be a very useful fable in the upper elementary grades. Lying, greed, and selfishness are all heavy topics but topics that many kids are struggling to deal with. I feel that reading this book and talking about Pinocchio and his flaws will help kids put names to the feelings that they may have or that they may have experienced. It is also a good opportunity to discuss with your students what "gullible" means and how that can be applied to their lives. Should they believe everything they hear (on tv, on the internet, from their friends)? This book could also be a tool for a teacher to use if they notice some of these behaviors in their classroom. It would be a good way to address the situation without calling any particular student out.

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

You may think you know the story of Pinocchio because you've seen the Disney version but let me tell you Disney has no color and imagination compared to the original Collodi novel! Pinocchio's adventures are bizarre and fantastical, with the consequences of his choices having immediate effect each time. Sometimes it was just too crazy (for me) but my boys ate it up and definitely got the point: disobeying your parents and having nothing but fun all day will lead to NO GOOD.