  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 10/01/2014 Gr 3–5—Sold a talking piece of wood, a lonely wood carver named Geppetto creates a boy puppet and names him Pinocchio—a naughty puppet at that. Pinocchio kicks Geppetto and runs away. He soon realizes, however, that life as a puppet is not all it's cracked up to be and decides he wants to become a real boy. One day, when Pinocchio gets into some trouble and doesn't come home right away, Geppetto goes out looking for him, get caught in a storm, and waves to Pinocchio right as he is swallowed by a great shark. Alone and friendless, Pinocchio runs afoul of a murderous Cat and Fox, an angry farmer, a giant under the sea, a little man who turns boys into donkeys. With the help of a Blue Fairy, he survives, but will he ever get his wish of becoming a real boy? Will he find his father? Does Pinocchio have what it takes to be a real boy? McMullan and Lemaitre bring their vast array of skills together in a unique way that makes this illustrated version of a classic perfect for early chapter book readers. The pictures are detailed, eye-catching, and complementary of the text. McMullan stays true to the original story while making the text simple enough for young readers to enjoy. Fans of abridged classics, fantasy, and adventure will enjoy reading this newest version of this timeless classic.—Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Bulletin for the Center... - 01/01/2015 A lonely old woodcarver creates a boy puppet from a piece of talking wood; the puppet eases some of the old man’s heartache, but more often than not, the wooden boy’s bad judgment leads to mischief and he realizes he has much to learn before he can become a “real boy.” Readers familiar with the more saccharine Disney version of Pinocchio may be in for a bit of a surprise with McMullan’s retelling, which sticks closely to Carlo Collodi’s 1880 original; it’s often a dark tale, with Pinocchio throwing a hammer and killing Cricket in the first few pages and getting hanged from a tree. McMullan also makes a point to hold to the original’s serial element, giving each episode its own chapter, which results in a choppy and disjointed read; additionally, the flatness of the language makes it difficult to contextualize the tone, which skitters from sentimentality to black humor, or to engage emotionally. Which is historically valid, but the Cartoon Classics approach is clearly setting this retelling out as a viable title for modern young readers in its own right, and that’s a tough, possibly insurmountable challenge with a tale so bounded by the conventions of its time and at odds with those of ours. Lemaitre’s playful, energetic black and white cartoons, appearing in panel sequences and full-page images as well as spot art, slyly emphasize the exaggeration to come down more on the comedic side of the story’s tone. While a compelling effort to bring a classic to a new format, this ultimately reveals a morality tale that doesn’t really translate to the modern world. KQG - Copyright 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Loading...
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