• The Story of Pinocchio

Pinocchio

A long time ago in Italy, there was an old clockmaker named Geppetto. He loved making clocks, and the sound of "Tick-tick-TOCK!" made him happy. But when he wasn’t working, he felt sad because he didn’t have a child of his own.

One day, Geppetto carved a puppet from wood in the shape of a boy. He made the puppet’s arms and legs move with strings and even sewed a nice outfit for him. "I will call you Pinocchio," he said. That night, Geppetto laid the wooden puppet on a bed and gave it a quick kiss on the forehead.

Looking out the window at a bright star, Geppetto wished, "If I could have one wish, it would be for a real boy of my own." He knew it wasn’t possible, but he wished anyway.

That night, the bright star swooshed into Geppetto’s room and turned into a Blue Fairy. She flew over to the bed and tapped the puppet with her wand. “Little wooden puppet,” she said, “open your eyes.” The puppet opened its eyes. "In the morning, you will be able to walk and talk like a real boy. If you prove to be brave and true, you may become a real boy."

A cricket appeared, dressed very finely. “This Cricket will help you make wise choices,” said the Blue Fairy. Then she swooshed back out the window.

The next morning, Geppetto went to wake his puppet but found the bed empty! “Here I am, Father!” said Pinocchio from the other side of the room. Geppetto was shocked but overjoyed and hugged Pinocchio tightly.

One day, Pinocchio wanted to go to school like other boys. Geppetto didn’t have money for schoolbooks, but later that day, he returned with a stack of them. “Now you can go to school,” he said, hiding the fact that he had traded his warm coat for the books.

The next morning, Pinocchio said goodbye to Geppetto and skipped to school with the Cricket on his shoulder. On the way, a Fox and a Cat stopped him. “Where are you going?” asked the Fox.

“I am going to school,” said Pinocchio.

“It’s too nice to be stuck inside a school,” said the Fox. “Come with us to the fair.”

“Pinocchio, don’t listen to him,” said the Cricket. But the Fox convinced Pinocchio to go to the fair instead.

At the fair, Pinocchio realized he didn’t have a ticket. A man offered to buy his schoolbooks for enough money to get a ticket, and Pinocchio agreed. The Cricket tried to stop him, but it was too late.

At the puppet show, Pinocchio danced with other puppets, and everyone was amazed that he had no strings. The man running the show saw money flying onto the stage and locked Pinocchio in a birdcage, planning to use him to get rich.

The Blue Fairy appeared and asked Pinocchio how he got in the cage. Pinocchio lied, and his nose grew longer and longer. Realizing his mistake, he told the truth, and his nose shrank back to normal. The Blue Fairy freed him and returned his schoolbooks. “You get a second chance,” she said, and vanished.

On his way to school, a Coachman offered Pinocchio a ride, promising he could do whatever he wanted at Pleasure Island. Despite the Cricket's warnings, Pinocchio agreed to go.

At Pleasure Island, boys could eat candy, play all day, and do as they pleased. But soon, Pinocchio noticed that boys were turning into donkeys. His own ears turned into donkey ears. Realizing the danger, Pinocchio and the Cricket ran away.

Pinocchio and the Cricket reached a dock and learned that Geppetto had gone out on a boat to look for him. Pinocchio jumped into the ocean to find his father. A giant whale swallowed them, and inside its belly, they found Geppetto.

Pinocchio had an idea to make a fire to create smoke and make the whale sneeze. The whale sneezed them out, and they rolled onto the shore.

On the shore, Geppetto and the Cricket wept over Pinocchio, who lay motionless. The Blue Fairy appeared and said, “You proved you are brave and true.” She tapped Pinocchio with her wand, and he became a real boy.

“Look, Father! I’m a real boy!” said Pinocchio.

Geppetto was overjoyed. The Blue Fairy and the Cricket vanished, their work done. Geppetto and Pinocchio lived happily together for many years.