Gr 6-8 More Struwwelpeter than Disney darling, this Pinocchio will surprise and perhaps delight students. The text describes a thoughtless bad boy who is repeatedly, and violently, punished for his misdeeds. Adapted from Della Chisa's translation from the original story, some elements are familiar, as when our hapless hero is led astray by a fox and a cat. Others are slightly horrifying, for example, when Pinocchio tries to kill the moralizing Talking Cricket by throwing a hammer at its head. Readers will understand the temptation to join Lamp-wick in the Land of Toys; yet this is where Pinocchio learns that "all lazy boys who come to hate books and schools and teachers and spend all their days with toys and games must sooner or later turn into donkeys." An endnote discusses the Bengali art form and the Patua painting style that Chitrakar employs, which traditionally feature stylized images from Hindu folklore. Pinocchio himself is reminiscent of the Hindu god Krishna, a trickster figure. The boldly outlined paintings decorate the text rather than directly illustrating it. And of course, in the belly of the beast is where Pinocchio finds his father at last. This interpretation will inspire educators to seek out other versions, especially the 1881 original, to compare and contrast the visual interpretations of the text. VERDICT A unique addition to folktale collections for artistic exploration and cross-cultural comparison. Toby Rajput, National Louis University, Skokie, IL