The Adventures of Pinocchio
Recommended. Age: 9+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
This is a story about a son who runs from his father and is loved all the way home. Disobedience costs Pinocchio every time, and sacrifice for his father is what finally changes him. Cardinal Biffi saw the Gospel in it, though the text names God only in passing. The one reservation is the roughness. The original is far darker than Disney, with a hanging and several deaths.
For parents
Read aloud from 6 or 7, a chapter at a time. Independent reading from 9. Skim the hanging chapter first if your child is sensitive. Ask why Pinocchio keeps believing the Fox and the Cat. Ask what finally turns him into a real boy, and what that says about love.