Pinocchio: The Boy

We think that Pinocchio: The Boy, written and illustrated by Lane Smith, is a very enjoyable book to read. It has great illustrations made by collages. You probably should read it by yourself, because there are lots of little illustration details that you'd never notice if you read it out loud. We give Pinocchio a hundred million stars! It's a little different from the real Pinocchio story. This book is more like a sequel to Pinocchio. The story is about a blue fairy who turns Pinocchio into a real boy, But when he wakes up, he sees that his owner is sick. Pinocchio travels all over town to look for soup for Geppetto. This book could be enjoyed by all ages. Eve, Holly, Tyeler, Kate and Elizabeth all enjoyed it!

"Last week in a nutshell..." So begins Lane Smith's delightfully manic tale of what happened next. After a speedy recap of Pinocchio's exploits from the original story, Mr Lane ends his introduction with: And so, with a wave of her wand, the Blue Fairy granted this wish and turned the wooden puppet Pinocchio into a real boy. But he had no idea! That nutty fairy had changed him while he was asleep." That belly of the whale incident has left Geppetto pretty sick. So Pinocchio sets out early the next morning towards beautiful downtown Collodi to buy his dad some chicken soup. He doesn't know he's a real boy, and no one from his past, Cricket, puppetmaster, shopkeeper, even his own father doesn't seem to recognize him now that he's flesh and blood. But soon a little girl enters the picture, and that's when all the fun begins..... Mr Smith's spare and irreverent text is entertaining and engaging. But it's his bold, bright, and busy collage artwork that really steals the show. Each stunning illustration is filled with vibrant color, dazzling wit and playful humor, and children will want to stop, linger, and explore before turning the page. With an appropriate, fairy tale happily-ever-after ending, Pinocchio The Boy is a marvelous visual feast, and an updated, fun-filled romp youngsters 4-8 won't want to miss.