Starscape/Tom Doherty Associates, LLC (Paperback), ISBN 0-765-34458-0
Since its publication in 1875 as a magazine installment series for children, The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo (Lorenzini) Collodi (1826-1890) achieved considerable acclaim as a "beloved children's classic." Pinocchio continues to thrive, most recently in Roberto Benigni's film (2002) and this reprinted edition (with appropriately ghastly [but fabulous!] illustrations by Gris Grimly).

In this classic, original fairy tale, a lonely and impoverished craftsman named Geppetto creates a wooden toy. He names the puppet Pinocchio and wishes it could become a boy. Pinocchio presents himself as a naughty, mischievous, pitiful, antiauthoritarian and self-serving little boy whose nose grows when he lies. Even as his nose increases with each fib, Pinocchio continues his bad deeds and chooses the wrong path, time and time again. Of course, Pinocchio's character flaws offer a perfect opportunity for necessary character change at the end of the book. Unfortunately, these same flaws tend to eclipse any redeeming characteristics that Pinocchio may display as the story's hero.

Having stood the test of time, Pinocchio merits a read. Its successful use of fairy tale motifs and mythic structure of the hero's journey make it an essential object of study. However, while the hero's journey ultimately reaches its destination, the reader's journey doesn't.

As a present-day children's novel, Pinocchio fails. It reads like historical literature, laden with dated colloquialisms, didactic heavy-hammered morals -- often tedious and tiresome to wade through. Other times, the story reads as overwrought, over-burdened with harsh and bitter realities. In the story's first unpalatable act of violence, Pinocchio kills the cricket that attempts to remind Pinocchio of his morality. Later, Pinocchio finds his feet burned while he slept. From there, it gets progressively worse until the point where Pinocchio is hanged (but not killed).

Pinocchio remains a fable with important themes (right vs. wrong, truth, loss of childhood) and literary merit. However, the storytelling seems stale and ineffective when compared with later retellings. Disney's version, a more polished story, sweeps away cumbersome dust and other significant obstructive matter, and offers hope in life and humanity.

While much can be learned from this story, the magic is in the retelling.

Lynne Remick

Lynne Marie Pisano is a freelance writer, poet, book reviewer, SCBWI Metro New York LI Critique Group Coordinator and Co-Chair of the Long Island Children's Writers and Illustrators. She lives in New York with her husband Michael, her son Kevin and a daughter named Kayla, and Dante, a Schipperke.

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