The Adventures of Pinocchio
Follow Pinocchio, a mischievous wooden puppet who dreams of becoming a real boy. Along the way, he encounters extraordinary characters, faces unexpected dangers, and discovers the importance of honesty, kindness, and responsibility in this beloved Italian children's classic.
Why we recommend it
The Adventures of Pinocchio combines imaginative storytelling with meaningful lessons about honesty, friendship, responsibility, and making good choices. Its memorable characters and exciting adventures encourage children to think about the consequences of their actions while building vocabulary and reading comprehension. A classic addition to the Grade 3 reading collection.
Start of the book
Centuries ago there lived—
“A king!” my little readers will say at once.
No, children, you are mistaken. Once upon a time there was a piece of wood. It was not an expensive piece of wood. Far from it. Just a common block of firewood, one of those thick, solid logs you put on the fire in winter to make cold rooms cozy and warm.
I don’t know how this really happened, but the fact remains that one fine day this piece of wood ended up in the shop of an old carpenter. His real name was Mastro Antonio, but everyone called him Mastro Cherry, because the tip of his nose was so round and red and shiny that it looked like a ripe cherry.
As soon as he saw that piece of wood, Mastro Cherry was filled with joy. Rubbing his hands together happily, he mumbled half to himself:
“This has come in the nick of time. I’ll use it to make the leg of a table.”
He grabbed the hatchet quickly to peel off the bark and shape the wood. But as he was about to give it the first blow, he froze with his arm raised, for he heard a tiny voice say in a pleading tone: “Please be careful! Do not hit me so hard!”
What a look of surprise shone on Mastro Cherry’s face! His funny face became even funnier.
He turned frightened eyes around the room to find out where that tiny voice had come from and he saw no one! He looked under the bench—no one! He peeped inside the closet—no one! He searched among the shavings—no one! He opened the door to look up and down the street—and still no one!
“Oh, I see!” he then said, laughing and scratching his wig. “It’s clear I only thought I heard the tiny voice say the words! Well, well—back to work.”
