Pinocchio

Carlo Collodi

Geppetto, a poor old wood carver, was making a puppet from a tree branch. "You
shall be my little boy," he said to the puppet, "and I shall call you 'Pinocchio'." e
worked for hours, carefully carving each detail. !hen he reached the mouth, the
puppet started making faces at Geppetto. ""top that, you naughty boy," Geppetto
scolded, ""top that at once #" "I won't stop #" cried Pinocchio.
"You can talk #" e$claimed Geppetto.
"%f course I can, silly," said the puppet. "You've given me a mouth to talk with."
Pinocchio rose to his feet and danced on the table top. "&ook what I can do #" he
s'uealed.
"Pinocchio, this is not the time to dance," Geppetto e$plained. "You must get a
good night's rest. (omorrow you will start going to school with the real boys. You
will learn many things, including how to behave."
%n his way to school the ne$t morning, Pinocchio stopped to see a puppet show.
"I
can dance and sing better than those puppets and I don't need strings," boasted
Pinocchio. e climbed onto the stage.
"Get off my stage," roared the Puppet )aster. (hen he noticed how much the
crowd liked Pinocchio. e did not say anything and let Pinocchio stay. "ere,
you've earned five copper coins," the Puppet )aster told Pinocchio.
"(ake these coins and go straight home," said the Puppet )aster. Pinocchio put
the coins into his sack.
e did not go very far before he met a lame *o$ and a blind +at. ,nowing that
Pinocchio had money, they pretended to be his friends. "+ome with us. !e'll
teach you how to turn those copper pieces into gold," coa$ed the sneaky +at.
"!e want to help you get rich. Plant your coins under this magic tree. In a few
hours they'll turn to gold," said the *o$.
""how me where," said Pinocchio e$citedly. (he +at and *o$ pointed to a patch
of loose dirt. Pinocchio dug a hole and put the sack in it, marking the spot with a
stone.
""plendid #" e$claimed the +at. "-ow let's go to the inn for supper." .fter supper,
the *o$ and +at, who weren't really lame or blind, 'uickly snuck away and
disguised themselves as thieves. (hey hid by the tree waiting for Pinocchio to
come back and dig up the money. .fter Pinocchio dug up the coins they pounced
on him.
"Give us your money #" they ordered. /ut Pinocchio held the sack between his
teeth and resisted to give the sack to them. .gain they demanded, "Give us your
money #"
Pinocchio's Guardian *airy, who was dressed all in blue and had blue hair, sent
her dog, 0ufus, to chase the *o$ and +at away. "he ordered 0ufus to bring
Pinocchio back to her castle. "Please sit down," she told Pinocchio. 0ufus kept
one eye open to watch what was going on.
"!hy didn't you go to school today1" she asked Pinocchio in a sweet voice.
"I did," answered Pinocchio. 2ust then, his nose shot out like a tree branch.
"!hat's happening to my nose1" he cried.
"3very time you tell a lie, your nose will grow. !hen you tell the truth, it will
shrink," said the /lue *airy. "Pinocchio, you can only become a real boy if you
learn how to be brave, honest and generous."
(he /lue *airy told Pinocchio to go home and not to stop for any reason.
Pinocchio tried to remember what the /lue *airy told him.
%n the way to home he met some boys. "+ome with us," said the boys. "!e
know a wonderful place filled with games, giant cakes, pretty candies, and
circuses." (he boys didn't know that if you were bad, you were turned into
donkeys and trained for the circus.
It was not very long before the boys began changing into donkeys. "(hat's what
happens to bad boys," snarled the +ircus )aster as he made Pinocchio 4ump
through a hoop.
Pinocchio could only grow a donkey's ears, feet, and tail, because he was made
of wood. (he +ircus )aster couldn't sell him to any circus. e threw Pinocchio
into the sea. (he instant Pinocchio hit the water, the donkey tail fell off and his
own ears and feet came back. e swam for a very long time. 2ust when he
couldn't swim any longer, he was swallowed by a great whale. "It's dark here,"
scared Pinocchio said.
Pinocchio kept floating deep into the whale's stomach. "!ho's there by the light1"
called Pinocchio, his voice echoing.
"Pinocchio, is that you1" asked a tired voice.
"*ather, you're alive #" Pinocchio shouted with 4oy. e wasn't scared anymore.
Pinocchio helped Geppetto build a big raft that would hold both of them. !hen
the raft was finished, Pinocchio tickled the whale. "old tight, *ather. !hen he
snee5es, he'll blow us out of here #" cried Pinocchio.
ome at last, Geppetto tucked Pinocchio into his bed. "Pinocchio, today you
were brave, honest and generous," Geppetto said. "You are my son and I love
you."
Pinocchio remembered what the /lue *airy told him. "*ather, now that I've
proven myself, I'm waiting for something to happen," he whispered as he drifted
off to sleep.
(he ne$t morning Pinocchio came running down the steps, 4umping and waving
his arms. I e ran to Geppetto shouting, "&ook *ather, I'm a real boy #"

Peter Pan
James Matthew Barry
!endy, 2ohn, and )ichael 6arling lived in &ondon. %ne night, !endy woke to
find a strange boy sitting on the floor who was crying.
")y name is !endy," she said. "!ho are you1 !hy are you crying1
"I'm Peter Pan," the boy replied. "I'm crying because my shadow won't stick to
me."
"6on't cry," !endy said. "!e can fi$ that." .nd she sewed Peter's shadow to
the tips of his shoes. Peter was delighted.
"*ly back to -everland with me and my fairy, (inker /ell," Peter begged. "You
could be our mother and take care of us."
"+an you teach me to fly1" !endy asked. Peter nodded.
"&et's wake 2ohn and )ichael," !endy said. "You can teach us all to fly and then
we
will leave for -everland #"
(he children were soon flying around the room. then7"woosh # %ut the window
they all flew.
!endy, 2ohn, and )ichael flew behind Peter Pan and (inker /ell, following the
golden arrows that pointed the way to -everland. *inally, they were flying over
the island.
"(he lost boys live with me and (inker /ell. I'm their captain," Peter said. "(he
Indians live over there, and the mermaids live in the lagoon. .nd there are
pirates too, led by +aptain ook."
"Pirates1" e$claimed !endy, 2ohn, and )ichael, all in the same breath. !endy
was frightened, but )ichael and 2ohn wanted to see the pirates right away.
"ook's the meanest pirate ever," Peter warned. "/ut he's afraid of the crocodile.
(he crocodile bit off ook's hand and liked the taste so much that it follows him,
hoping for more. &uckily for ook, the crocodile swallowed a clock. It goes '(ick,
)ock, and warns ook when the crocodile is nearby"
"%h, my God r" cried !endy, not sure if she really wanted to stay in -everlanc8
after all.
Peter led !endy, 2ohn, and )ichael to his house under the woods. (hey entered
through a door hidden in an old tree stump. !hen the lost boys saw !endy, they
shouted, "ooray # !ill you be our mother1"
"I'm only a little girl," !endy answered. "I have no e$perience." /ut the lost boys
looked so sad that she said, "I'll do my best."
(hat night !endy tucked the boys into bed and told them the tale of +inderella.
&ife was pleasant in the cosy house under the woods.
!endy took care of the boys, who e$plored the island during the day. .t night,
they gathered for meals, played make9 believe games, and listened while !endy
told them stories.
%ne day, Peter and the children went e$ploring near the mermaids' lagoon.
"uddenly Peter yelled, "Pirates # (ake cover." (he boys ran away, and Peter and
!endy hid.
Peter and !endy could see that the pirates had tied up (iger &ily, the Indian
princess. (he pirates had left her on a rock in the lagoon.
Peter was afraid that (iger &ily would drown when the tide came in. e had to
save her # In a voice that sounded 4ust like +aptain ook's, he shouted, ""et her
free #"
"/ut, +aptain," the pirates yelled, "you ordered us to bring her here #"
"&et her go #' Peter roared, still sounding like ook. ".ye, aye," the pirates said,
and set (iger &ily free. "he swam 'uickly back to the Indian camp.
!hen +aptain ook found out what had happened, he knew Peter had tricked
his pirates. ook became furious#
(hat night, !endy told the boys a story about three children who left their
parents and flew to -everland. (heir mother and father missed them very much.
(he children loved -everland, but they never forgot their home.
"6id they ever go back1" the lost boys asked.
"%h, yes," !endy replied. "(hey flew home to their mummy and daddy, and
everyone was happy."
(he story made !endy, 2ohn, and )ichael homesick. (hey decided to fly home
the ne$t morning. "If you come back with us," !endy told the lost boys, I'm sure
our mother and father would adopt you."
"ooray #" shouted the boys, 4umping with 4oy.
!endy asked Peter if he and (inker /ell would come home with them too. /ut
Peter didn't want to live where grown9ups could tell him what to do.
Peter was sad that his friends were leaving. "till, he wanted the children to arrive
home safely, so he asked (inker /ell to guide them on their trip.
3arly the ne$t morning, (inker /ell and the children left the house under the
woods. /ut +aptain ook's pirates were hiding nearby. (hey captured all the
children, tied them up, and marched them towards the pirate's ship.
(inker /ell escaped, and hurried back to tell Peter what had happened.
"It's ook or me this time #" yelled Peter to (inker /ell as they flew off to save
!endy and the boys.
%n the pirate's ship, +aptain ook demanded, "!ho wants to become a pirate1"
(he boys shook their heads.
"(hen make them walk the plank #" ook roared. (he boys tried to look brave,
but they were afraid.
"uddenly, they heard the "(ick, (ock" of the crocodile. -ow it was +aptain
ook's turn to be afraid.
/ut the "(ick, (ock" was only Peter, imitating the crocodile9. e flew onto the
deckand shouted, "I've got you now, ook #" +aptain ook 4umped up and swung
at Peter with his sword. Peter was 'uick, and stepped away. e slashed at ook
with his own sword until they came close to the edge of the ship.
Peter lunged with his sword, and ook fell into the sea, where the crocodile was
waiting for him. .nd that was the end of +aptain. I9look#
!hen Peter was certain that ook was gone forever, he and (inker /ell set off
for &ondon with !endy and the boys.
!endy's parents were happy to see their children again. )r. and )rs. 6arling
hugged !endy, 2ohn, and )ichael, and agreed to adopt the lost boys. (hey
asked Peter to stay with them also, but he said, "I'm going to stay in -everland
where I never have to grow up."
"Goodbye then, Peter. !e'll miss you," everyone called. Peter Pan and (inker
/ell waved goodbye and flew home to -everland.