Since the beginning, fairy tales and folk tales have strongly influenced the thoughts of young and old minds alike. These well-known stories have been lovingly passed down through generations to teach children important lessons that will stay with them for life. Kindness, bravery, and acceptance are just some of the many principles in each story. ‘Pinocchio’ story in English is the perfect example of one such story that best expresses these moral values. Here’s the Pinocchio full story for children.
Origin And History Of Pinocchio
Pinocchio was created by the famous Italian author Carlo Collodi in 1883. It was initially produced as a weekly series in the children’s magazine Giornale per i bambini and rolled out for just four months from July 7 1881. However, when the series ended, the children loved it so much that they demanded more and Collodi gave in and wrote another year’s worth of the series. After this, he decided to publish the story of Pinocchio in the form of a single book.
Story Type Of Pinocchio
Pinocchio is a fairy tale which also falls under the category of a folktale.
Story Characters
The following are the characters in the story:
Pinocchio – He is the main character who is made out of wood by Papa Geppetto.
Papa Geppetto – Papa Geppetto is a caring father who helps Pinocchio at every step and sacrifices everything for him.
Blue Fairy – The blue fairy is called so because of her blue hair. She is good to Pinocchio and helps him stay safe from every danger.
Cat and Fox – These two characters are cunning and befriend Pinocchio only to take his money.
Pinocchio Story for Children
In a small village lived a craftsman Geppetto. One day he decided to make a wooden toy. He said to himself, “I will make a little boy and call him ‘Pinocchio’.” He searched everywhere for a good piece of wood. To his good luck, he came upon a piece of pinewood. After examining the wood, he began to carve it. He worked tirelessly for many hours, and finally, his hard work paid off. He carved a beautiful wooden puppet boy who he named Pinocchio. He said, “I wish Pinocchio were a real boy.”
The blue fairy heard Geppetto, decided to grant him his wish and made Pinocchio come to life!
As time flew, Pinocchio and Papa Geppetto grew fond of each other and started enjoying each other’s company. Pinocchio wished with all his heart to go to school. But sadly, Papa Geppetto did not have enough money to send him to school. So he sold his coat for some money. He then called Pinocchio over, gave him the money to buy some stationery and asked him to go straight to school and not roam around.
Pinocchio set out to go to school, but on his way, he saw a circus. He forgot Papa Geppetto’s warning and went to see the circus, where there was a huge crowd. Suddenly, he found himself locked up in a cage. He started to cry, and soon, the blue fairy came and helped release him from the cage. She warned him never to repeat the same mistake and to obey his father.
The next day, Pinocchio set out again for school. While crossing the forest on his way, he met a cat and a fox. Now the cat and the fox were extremely cunning. When they saw Pinocchio carrying money, they stopped him in his tracks and asked him where he was going. Pinocchio replied that he was going to buy some school stationery.
On hearing this, the fox convinced Pinocchio that the money he was carrying would not be sufficient to buy the stationery. The fox then suggested that Pinocchio give him the money, and he would plant it in a magical forest where the money would multiply. Poor little Pinocchio believed the fox’s lies. Over time, Pinocchio realised that he had been cheated as he didn’t find the money and started to cry.
Hearing his cries, the blue fairy again appeared and asked Pinocchio about the money. Pinocchio lied by making some excuses. While he continued lying, his nose grew longer and longer! The fairy realised that he was lying.
She asked, “Are you telling the truth, Pinocchio?” He replied, “Sorry, I was scared of being scolded”. The fairy warned him again and helped him by returning the money.
The next day, Pinocchio met the circus owner on his way to school. The circus owner was angry when he saw Pinocchio as he thought that Pinocchio had run away from the circus. To punish him, he threw Pinocchio into the deep blue sea, where a giant whale swallowed him.
Back home, Papa Geppetto grew anxious about Pinocchio as he hadn’t heard from him. He searched everywhere until a fisherman said that he saw a wooden puppet boy being thrown into the sea. Hearing this, Geppetto went to the sea and was immediately swallowed by the same giant whale.
When Papa Geppetto and Pinocchio saw each other, they ran and hugged each other and started crying. Pinocchio promised his father he would change, be better and obey him. Hearing them cry, the blue fairy that helped Pinocchio appeared again and rescued them from the whale’s stomach.
Pinocchio thanked the blue fairy and promised he would always listen to his father. The fairy was glad and granted him his wish to be a real human boy. From that day onwards, Papa Geppetto and Pinocchio lived happily ever after.
Story Summary
The summary of ‘Pinocchio’ is given below:
The story’s main character is a living wooden puppet crafted by a toy maker Geppetto who adopts him as his son. In the beginning, Pinocchio is disobedient. He ignores Papa Geppetto and runs away in search of adventure. The blue fairy guides Pinocchio at every step of the way and encourages him to change his ways. Eventually, when Pinocchio repents, the Blue Fairy transforms him into a real boy to reward him for his excellent behaviour.
The Lesson Your Child Will Learn From This Story
Like every other folk tale, Pinocchio too has important lessons for children: e.g., being disobedient will do you no good, telling lies is never advisable, and never disobey your elders.
How Can Children Apply The Lesson Of The Story In Their Real Life?
When Pinocchio shows himself as selfless, truthful, obedient, and brave, the blue fairy transforms him into a real boy. The lesson that children can learn from this is that we can lead a happy life by being truthful and changing ourselves for the better.
Pinocchio is a perfect short story with pictures that your child will enjoy while learning about valuable social lessons that will help them be better in life.
