Gepetto wishes his puppet to be a real boy. The good fairy grants his wish and gives Pinocchio a conscience, a cricket named Jiminy. Pinocchio ends up being a show boy after a detour on the way to school. Even after the fairy helps him, he falls into temptation and finds himself on Pleasure Island, scheduled to become a work mule. He sets out to find Gepetto, who is in the belly of a whale, and upon their reunion, they make an escape. In the process, the fairy determines that Pinocchio has become “brave, truthful, and unselfish” and becomes a “real boy”.

This has a hero’s journey in it, with Pinocchio having to prove himself worthy of being a real boy. Poor misguided Pinocchio and not-all-together Jiminy Cricket! Though the characters were well-developed, the setting was not in any way believable. I think most of the Disney stories have a great plot and conflict but also manage to teach some morals and lessons. This story was no different and makes young children realize how important being truthful and staying out of trouble is.

If I were extending this in a classroom, I would let my class watch the movie Pinocchio. We could learn some of the songs and put on a performance for the parents. If we had enough extra help, we could have a very introductory lesson in woodcarving and make out own puppets. We could then write a story and put our puppets together and act out our stories.

ISBN 0307021858 – If ever there was a match made in heaven, it had to be Golden Books and Disney. While the short format, perfect for little readers, does leave much out of the stories, it’s worth it to introduce your child to books. Pinocchio is no different – the story moves so quickly, details are omitted. Still, a classic tale, one worth sharing.

Geppetto is a lonely woodcarver who makes a boy puppet and wishes, with all his might, that the puppet was alive. As Geppetto sleeps, Pinocchio is given life by the Blue Fairy. There’s a catch, though. Pinocchio is alive, but he won’t be a real boy until he proves himself and to help him, Jiminy Cricket is designated his Official Conscience. In the morning, Geppetto is thrilled to see that his puppet is alive and does what any father would do. He sends Pinocchio off to school – and into trouble. Pinocchio must learn to be honest, and brave, before he is allowed to become a real boy. Will he learn in time?

The pace of the story really does border on frantic. Geppetto wakes up to meet his puppet-come-to-life and within moments, it seems, has him packed off to school. Pinocchio’s two run-ins with Foulfellow seem to happen back-to-back, with one following right on the heels of his second chance from the Blue Fairy. Coco’s adaptation isn’t fantastic, but the story itself is. Illustrations by Ron Dias are very nicely done, on a par with Disney’s usual – wonderful – work.

- AnnaLovesBooks ( )

This retelling of "Pinocchio" follows the Diney movie plot with Disney pictures. Pinocchio is bad, is warned about it, and follows it up with being bad again. Finally he sees the error of his ways and goes to rescue Geppetto. He's rewarded for finally not messing up by being made into a real boy. ( )