Book Review: Pinocchio

Pinocchio was written by Carlo Collodi, the pen name of Carlo Lorenzini.  He worked as a civil servant for the government education department.  His feelings about education come through several times in the book.

To my surprise, this book has very little to do with the Disney movie.  In this book there are many more stories.  There is a cricket, who does tell Pinocchio to be good, and for his trouble gets smashed with a hammer.  He does show up in the book several times more, sometimes as a spirit.  There is a pleasure island, and Pinocchio turns into a donkey.  It is incumbent to know that all boys who make donkeys of themselves eventual become one, and then are useful to be sold for menial labor.  However, Pinocchio had many opportunities to be a good boy before this, and always seemed to go with the wrong crowd, either through their conning ways, or simply the temptation was too great.

Pinocchio does find his father inside a large fish.  He help to rescue him, without a fire as in the movie.  A kind tuna helps to rescue them both as they are stranded in the ocean.

Intermixed in this story, is that of the blue fairy, who loves Pinocchio, and wants him to be good, but is disappointed over and over.  Sometimes she is a girl, Pinocchio’s sister, and other times a woman, Pinocchio’s mother.