The Pinocchio Megapack: 4 Classic Puppet Tales Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Information

  The Megapack Series

  INTRODUCTION: MEET PINOCCHIO’S CREATOR

  THE ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO, by Carlo Collodi

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  CHAPTER 34

  CHAPTER 35

  CHAPTER 36

  PINOCCHIO UNDER THE SEA, by Mongiardini-Rembadi

  CHAPTER I

  CHAPTER II

  CHAPTER III

  CHAPTER IV

  CHAPTER VI

  CHAPTER VII

  CHAPTER VIII

  CHAPTER IX

  CHAPTER X

  CHAPTER XI

  CHAPTER XII

  CHAPTER XIII

  CHAPTER XIV

  CHAPTER XV

  CHAPTER XVI

  THE HEART OF PINOCCHIO by Collodi Nipote

  INTRODUCTION

  CHAPTER I

  CHAPTER II

  CHAPTER III

  CHAPTER IV

  CHAPTER V

  CHAPTER VI

  CHAPTER VII

  CHAPTER VIII

  CHAPTER IX

  CHAPTER X

  CHAPTER XI

  PINOCHIO IN AFRICA, by Cherubini

  PREFACE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  CHAPTER 34

  CHAPTER 35

  CHAPTER 36

  CHAPTER 37

  CHAPTER 38

  CHAPTER 39

  CHAPTER 40

  CHAPTER 41

  CHAPTER 42

  Copyright Information

  The Pinocchio Megapack is copyright © 2012 by Wildside Press LLC.

  The Megapack Series

  The Adventure Megapack

  The Christmas Megapack

  The Second Christmas Megapack

  The Cowboy Megapack

  The Craig Kennedy Scientific Detective Megapack

  The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack

  The Father Brown Megapack

  The Ghost Story Megapack

  The Horror Megapack

  The Macabre Megapack

  The Martian Megapack

  The Military Megapack

  The Mummy Megapack

  The Mystery Megapack

  The Science Fiction Megapack

  The Second Science Fiction Megapack

  The Third Science Fiction Megapack

  The Fourth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Fifth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Penny Parker Megapack

  The Pinocchio Megapack

  The Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Megapack

  The Tom Swift Megapack

  The Vampire Megapack

  The Victorian Mystery Megapack

  The Western Megapack

  The Wizard of Oz Megapack

  AUTHOR MEGAPACKS

  The Andre Norton Megapack

  The B. M. Bower Megapack

  The Andre Norton Megapack

  The Rafael Sabatini Megapack

  INTRODUCTION: MEET PINOCCHIO’S CREATOR

  Carlo Lorenzini (1826–1890), better known by the pen name Carlo Collodi, was an Italian children’s writer known for the world-renowned fairy tale novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio.

  Collodi was born in Florence, Italy. During the Wars of Independence in 1848 and 1860, he served as a volunteer with the Tuscan army. His active interest in political matters may be seen in his earliest literary works as well as in the founding of the satirical newspaper Il Lampione.

  Lorenzini had won fame as early as 1856 with his novel In vapore and had also begun intense activity on other political newspapers such as Il Fanfulla; at the same time he was employed by the Censorship Commission for the Theatre. During this period he composed various satirical sketches and stories (sometimes simply by collating earlier articles), including Macchiette (1880), Occhi e nasi (1881), and Storie allegre (1887).

  In 1875, he entered the domain of children’s literature with Racconti delle fate, a translation of French fairy tales by Perrault. In 1876 Lorenzini wrote Giannettino (inspired by Alessandro Luigi Parravicini’s Giannetto), the Minuzzolo, and Il viaggio per l’Italia di Giannettino, a series which explored the re-unification of Italy through the ironic thoughts and actions of the character Giannettino.

  Lorenzini became fascinated by the idea of using an amiable, rascally character as a means of expressing his own convictions through allegory. In 1880 he began writing Storia di un burattino (“The story of a marionette”), also called Le avventure di Pinocchio, which was published weekly in Il Giornale dei Bambini (the first Italian newspaper for children).

  Lorenzini died in Florence in 1890, unaware of the fame and popularity that awaited his work in generations to come. Pinocchio’s most famous adaptation was the 1940 Disney animated film, widely regarded as a classic of the genre—though there are dozens, if not hundreds, of translations, movies, plays, and other versions of the now-classic story…as well as a number of sequels, three of which are included in this volume.

  THE ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO, by Carlo Collodi

  Translated from the Italian by Carol Della Chiesa

  CHAPTER 1

  How it happened that Mastro Cherry, carpenter, found a piece of wood that wept and laughed like a child.

  Centuries ago there lived—

  “A king!” my little readers will say immediately.

  No, children, you are mistaken. Once upon a time there was a piece of wood. It was not an expensive piece of wood. Far from it. Just a common block of firewood, one of those thick, solid logs that are put on the fire in winter to make cold rooms cozy and warm
.

  I do not know how this really happened, yet the fact remains that one fine day this piece of wood found itself in the shop of an old carpenter. His real name was Mastro Antonio, but everyone called him Mastro Cherry, for the tip of his nose was so round and red and shiny that it looked like a ripe cherry.

  As soon as he saw that piece of wood, Mastro Cherry was filled with joy. Rubbing his hands together happily, he mumbled half to himself:

  “This has come in the nick of time. I shall use it to make the leg of a table.”

  He grasped the hatchet quickly to peel off the bark and shape the wood. But as he was about to give it the first blow, he stood still with arm uplifted, for he had heard a wee, little voice say in a beseeching tone: “Please be careful! Do not hit me so hard!”

  What a look of surprise shone on Mastro Cherry’s face! His funny face became still funnier.

  He turned frightened eyes about the room to find out where that wee, little voice had come from and he saw no one! He looked under the bench—no one! He peeped inside the closet—no one! He searched among the shavings—no one! He opened the door to look up and down the street—and still no one!

  “Oh, I see!” he then said, laughing and scratching his Wig. “It can easily be seen that I only thought I heard the tiny voice say the words! Well, well—to work once more.”

  He struck a most solemn blow upon the piece of wood.

  “Oh, oh! You hurt!” cried the same far-away little voice.

  Mastro Cherry grew dumb, his eyes popped out of his head, his mouth opened wide, and his tongue hung down on his chin.

  As soon as he regained the use of his senses, he said, trembling and stuttering from fright:

  “Where did that voice come from, when there is no one around? Might it be that this piece of wood has learned to weep and cry like a child? I can hardly believe it. Here it is—a piece of common firewood, good only to burn in the stove, the same as any other. Yet—might someone be hidden in it? If so, the worse for him. I’ll fix him!”

  With these words, he grabbed the log with both hands and started to knock it about unmercifully. He threw it to the floor, against the walls of the room, and even up to the ceiling.

  He listened for the tiny voice to moan and cry. He waited two minutes—nothing; five minutes—nothing; ten minutes—nothing.

  “Oh, I see,” he said, trying bravely to laugh and ruffling up his wig with his hand. “It can easily be seen I only imagined I heard the tiny voice! Well, well—to work once more!”

  The poor fellow was scared half to death, so he tried to sing a gay song in order to gain courage.

  He set aside the hatchet and picked up the plane to make the wood smooth and even, but as he drew it to and fro, he heard the same tiny voice. This time it giggled as it spoke:

  “Stop it! Oh, stop it! Ha, ha, ha! You tickle my stomach.”

  This time poor Mastro Cherry fell as if shot. When he opened his eyes, he found himself sitting on the floor.

  His face had changed; fright had turned even the tip of his nose from red to deepest purple.

  CHAPTER 2

  Mastro Cherry gives the piece of wood to his friend Geppetto, who takes it to make himself a Marionette that will dance, fence, and turn somersaults.

  In that very instant, a loud knock sounded on the door. “Come in,” said the carpenter, not having an atom of strength left with which to stand up.

  At the words, the door opened and a dapper little old man came in. His name was Geppetto, but to the boys of the neighborhood he was Polendina,[1] on account of the wig he always wore which was just the color of yellow corn.

  Geppetto had a very bad temper. Woe to the one who called him Polendina! He became as wild as a beast and no one could soothe him.

  “Good day, Mastro Antonio,” said Geppetto. “What are you doing on the floor?”

  “I am teaching the ants their A B C’s.”

  “Good luck to you!”

  “What brought you here, friend Geppetto?”

  “My legs. And it may flatter you to know, Mastro Antonio, that I have come to you to beg for a favor.”

  “Here I am, at your service,” answered the carpenter, raising himself on to his knees.

  “This morning a fine idea came to me.”

  “Let’s hear it.”

  “I thought of making myself a beautiful wooden Marionette. It must be wonderful, one that will be able to dance, fence, and turn somersaults. With it I intend to go around the world, to earn my crust of bread and cup of wine. What do you think of it?”

  “Bravo, Polendina!” cried the same tiny voice which came from no one knew where.

  On hearing himself called Polendina, Mastro Geppetto turned the color of a red pepper and, facing the carpenter, said to him angrily:

  “Why do you insult me?”

  “Who is insulting you?”

  “You called me Polendina.”

  “I did not.”

  “I suppose you think I did! Yet I know it was you.”

  “No!”

  “Yes!”

  “No!”

  “Yes!”

  And growing angrier each moment, they went from words to blows, and finally began to scratch and bite and slap each other.

  When the fight was over, Mastro Antonio had Geppetto’s yellow wig in his hands and Geppetto found the carpenter’s curly wig in his mouth.

  “Give me back my wig!” shouted Mastro Antonio in a surly voice.

  “You return mine and we’ll be friends.”

  The two little old men, each with his own wig back on his own head, shook hands and swore to be good friends for the rest of their lives.

  “Well then, Mastro Geppetto,” said the carpenter, to show he bore him no ill will, “what is it you want?”

  “I want a piece of wood to make a Marionette. Will you give it to me?”

  Mastro Antonio, very glad indeed, went immediately to his bench to get the piece of wood which had frightened him so much. But as he was about to give it to his friend, with a violent jerk it slipped out of his hands and hit against poor Geppetto’s thin legs.

  “Ah! Is this the gentle way, Mastro Antonio, in which you make your gifts? You have made me almost lame!”

  “I swear to you I did not do it!”

  “It was I, of course!”

  “It’s the fault of this piece of wood.”

  “You’re right; but remember you were the one to throw it at my legs.”

  “I did not throw it!”

  “Liar!”

  “Geppetto, do not insult me or I shall call you Polendina.”

  “Idiot.”

  “Polendina!”

  “Donkey!”

  “Polendina!”

  “Ugly monkey!”

  “Polendina!”

  On hearing himself called Polendina for the third time, Geppetto lost his head with rage and threw himself upon the carpenter. Then and there they gave each other a sound thrashing.

  After this fight, Mastro Antonio had two more scratches on his nose, and Geppetto had two buttons missing from his coat. Thus having settled their accounts, they shook hands and swore to be good friends for the rest of their lives.

  Then Geppetto took the fine piece of wood, thanked Mastro Antonio, and limped away toward home.

  [1] Cornmeal mush

  CHAPTER 3

  As soon as he gets home, Geppetto fashions the Marionette and calls it Pinocchio. The first pranks of the Marionette.

  Little as Geppetto’s house was, it was neat and comfortable. It was a small room on the ground floor, with a tiny window under the stairway. The furniture could not have been much simpler: a very old chair, a rickety old bed, and a tumble-down table. A fireplace
full of burning logs was painted on the wall opposite the door. Over the fire, there was painted a pot full of something which kept boiling happily away and sending up clouds of what looked like real steam.

  As soon as he reached home, Geppetto took his tools and began to cut and shape the wood into a Marionette.

  “What shall I call him?” he said to himself. “I think I’ll call him Pinocchio. This name will make his fortune. I knew a whole family of Pinocchi once—Pinocchio the father, Pinocchia the mother, and Pinocchi the children—and they were all lucky. The richest of them begged for his living.”

  After choosing the name for his Marionette, Geppetto set seriously to work to make the hair, the forehead, the eyes. Fancy his surprise when he noticed that these eyes moved and then stared fixedly at him. Geppetto, seeing this, felt insulted and said in a grieved tone:

  “Ugly wooden eyes, why do you stare so?”

  There was no answer.

  After the eyes, Geppetto made the nose, which began to stretch as soon as finished. It stretched and stretched and stretched till it became so long, it seemed endless.

  Poor Geppetto kept cutting it and cutting it, but the more he cut, the longer grew that impertinent nose. In despair he let it alone.

  Next he made the mouth.

  No sooner was it finished than it began to laugh and poke fun at him.

  “Stop laughing!” said Geppetto angrily; but he might as well have spoken to the wall.

  “Stop laughing, I say!” he roared in a voice of thunder.

  The mouth stopped laughing, but it stuck out a long tongue.

  Not wishing to start an argument, Geppetto made believe he saw nothing and went on with his work. After the mouth, he made the chin, then the neck, the shoulders, the stomach, the arms, and the hands.

  As he was about to put the last touches on the finger tips, Geppetto felt his wig being pulled off. He glanced up and what did he see? His yellow wig was in the Marionette’s hand. “Pinocchio, give me my wig!”

  But instead of giving it back, Pinocchio put it on his own head, which was half swallowed up in it.

  At that unexpected trick, Geppetto became very sad and downcast, more so than he had ever been before.

  “Pinocchio, you wicked boy!” he cried out. “You are not yet finished, and you start out by being impudent to your poor old father. Very bad, my son, very bad!”