Pinocchio

“[T]hough written in the nineteenth century, the original Pinocchio remains as readable as if it had been written in the twenty-first, so limpid and simple is its prose,” writes Italian author Umberto Eco in the introduction to Collodi’s classic story of transformation. Readers not ready to tackle the story in Italian, however, will be more than satisfied with Brock’s lovely 2009 translation, which is accompanied by new artwork from Testa. His gentle, brightly colored cartoons soften some of the darker scenes in the story—such as when Pinocchio burns off his feet or the abuses he suffers after being transformed into a donkey—without minimizing Pinocchio’s mischievous nature. Ages 7–14. (Oct.)