Carlo Collodi

The Adventures of Pinocchio Carlo Collodi

Set in the Tuscan region of Italy in the 1800s, by Carlo Collodi's classic children's fantasy novel The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883) follows the misadventures of a living wooden puppet and his poor puppeteer father. The story was initially published as a serial in a weekly children's magazine; due to reader demand, it was later turned into a book. The Adventures of Pinocchio, translated into more than 260 languages, is considered one of the most important pieces of both Italian literature and children's literature.




One day, Geppetto, the puppeteer, decides to make a wonderful puppet. As he is crafting it, he says, "I think I'll call him Pinocchio." However, the unfinished puppet is already playing pranks on him. Its nose grows and grows no matter how much he cuts it. Once given a mouth, the puppet sticks its tongue out at him. Finally, it steals his wig before running out of the tiny house.




Geppetto gives chase until, finally, a policeman grabs Pinocchio by his long nose. The policeman takes Geppetto to jail for the disturbance and sends Pinocchio home. At home, Pinocchio finds a cricket on the wall. The cricket says that it has been living in that room for a hundred years and warns the puppet of the ill that befalls all children who refuse to listen to their parents. This angers Pinocchio so much that he smashes the cricket with a hammer.