- a puppet boy constantly misbehaves, reaping the consequences, but eventually learns his lesson
- brilliant writing style weaves humor, macabre* events and wise proverbs together but parental advisories detailed below
- convo points: wine mentioned, general naughtiness
- language: x2 G*d forbid, x2 Heavens, x2 ass (donkey)
Type: chapter book
Ages: 8+
Author: Carlo Collodi
*Pinocchio escapes near-death many times–he is hung from a tree (by the neck), almost used for firewood, is swallowed by a monstrous shark, etc. He sees the ghost of a dead girl (his “fairy”) and spooks are mentioned once. He watches his friend die.
This really is an impressive piece of literature that I recommend with caution. It is memorable and infused with all sorts of deeper thoughts. Your kids might not catch them all, which is one of the reasons I suggest reading together and discussing. There are various [brief] lessons such as “Children who do not follow the advice of those who are wiser than they are always come to grief.”
If you are a Christian parent, you might want to expand on a message in Chapter 36–Collodi argues that the reason we should be kind to everyone is so they’re kind to us when we need it. This is obviously a possible result of kindness; however, we are kind because the Holy Spirit dwells in us and that is one of His fruits (Galatians 5:22). See also Colossians 3:12, Ephesians 4:32, Luke 6:35, 1 Peter 3:9, 1 Corinthians 13:4, and more.
Since this was first published in 1882, its vocabulary can be unfamiliar (never fear: many editions have glossaries in the back), but it also provides readers with unique ways of wording things. A lover of words might appreciate this aspect.
Besides having the glossary, our copy has more information about the author, a detailed list of the characters, other interesting facts and lots of great black & white illustrations.
When you feel your children are old enough, I definitely recommend reading this one together.