by Michael Buckley
I’m often asked what character in all of folklore is my favorite. Diplomacy urges me to say I love them all but the truth is my favorite character is Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi.
I find the story and the character to be wildly funny and full of surprises. Like most kids, I grew up with the earnest and well-intentioned Walt Disney version of the character and it wasn’t until I was an adult before I gave the book a chance. To me, it’s one of the funniest stories I’ve read.
Pinocchio is a terrible, horrible, monstrous little boy who rarely learns from his mistakes. When opportunities arises to be a good son to his father he looks at them the way a kid eyes brussel sprouts. Why, even the cricket side-kick we all know from the movie, meets a surprising end when Pinocchio hits him with a hammer. The language is fresh and clever and Collodi has a lot of fun with all his characters. Even Gepetto is hilarious! It’s the one fairy tale I can count on to fill my day with laughter.
Michael Buckley is the author of The Sisters Grimm series. He has written and developed shows for Nickelodeon, Disney, MTV Animation, the Sci-Fi Channel, the Discovery Channel, and VH1. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Alison, and son, Finn.
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