Talking animals have long been a staple of fantasy in children’s literature. Frequently, these animals are accompanied by toys that can talk and relate to human experience. Through the adventures of these characters, children can learn important life lessons about the value of truthfulness and honesty.
When the writing is witty and entertaining, youngsters learn these moral messages naturally. By seeing the consequences bad decisions have on the lives of the characters in the story, children can learn to make better choices. One particularly famous fantasy about these topics was written in 1883 by Carlo Collodi. The name of this story is “Pinocchio: The Story of a Puppet.”
The story begins when an old wood carver, Geppetto, fashions a piece of wood into a puppet. He names the puppet Pinocchio and looks on the toy as his own son. But immediately, Pinocchio begins playing tricks on his father. He steals his wig and then runs away. As Geppetto vainly tries to catch up with the lively puppet, he despairs of ever catching him.
After much effort, he finds Pinocchio, but then the marionette cleverly outwits the wood carver and the police. So instead of Pinocchio being punished for his disobedience, the police arrest Geppetto and throw the old man into jail. Unperturbed by these events, Pinocchio continues to follow his own will and do whatever comes into his head. A good fairy tries to help the wandering puppet, but Pinocchio is in no mood to change his behavior.
As he continues his misadventures, Pinocchio meets some unsavory characters. He continues to get into serious scrapes, and is badly injured. In his pain, he begins to think of someone other than himself for the first time. Remembering the kindness of his father, the puppet begins having remorse.
As Pinocchio starts to recover from his injuries, he attempts to discipline himself by going to school. His studies begin to go well, but then one classmate tempts him into another act of defiance. Why work hard in school, and fill your head with knowledge when you can go away to a land of self indulgence? His slothful friend tells him of the fanciful land of Boobies, where boys can play all day long, and never have to study or obey. Pinocchio realizes that fleeing to this fantasy land is a bad decision and will hurt people, but he decides to go anyway. The land of Boobies seems too good to be true.
What happens to the puppet because of this choice? Who is injured with burned legs and long ears? What happens to Pinocchio’s nose when he tries to lie his way out of situations? Why do the puppet’s bad decisions continue to harm him?
What does it take to get someone to learn what is really important in life? When does Pinocchio finally learn this important message? To find out, go to the library and check out “Pinocchio: The Story of a Puppet.”
This classic story has been made into a movie by Walt Disney. Unfortunately, the movie somewhat sanitized Collodi’s message of moral responsibility. The decisions made by Pinocchio and their consequences are quite stark in the novel. Though the fanciful situations will be enjoyable for children, they will not fail to miss the meaning of the author.
This is a valuable book that has withstood the test of time. I hope you encourage your child or grandchild to read this book. It both instructs and delights, which is the best type of children’s book.
