Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi; Unabridged MP3 Audio Book; Narrator Susan O’Malley

When the old woodcarver Geppetto decides to make a puppet boy to dance and turn summersaults, he doesn't know that he has chosen a magical piece of wood. To his amazement, his puppet can talk and play just like the liveliest child. But a human soul must be earned; and thus begin the adventures of Pinocchio.

A tragicomic figure, Pinocchio is a poor, illiterate peasant boy with few choices in life who usually chooses to shirk his responsibilities and get into trouble. Pinocchio plays pranks on Geppetto, is duped by Fox and Cat, smashes the pedantic talking Cricket, and narrowly escapes death with the help of the blue-haired Fairy. But he is also brave, and as he stumbles from one predicament to the next, he makes his way unsteadily toward his heart's desire.

“The Disney version of Pinocchio is so engrained in the American consciousness that it is easy to forget how quirky, surrealistic, ironic, funny, and, at times, very dark the original novel is.”—Booklist

“Collodi’s classic story of a naughty puppet come to life is a fine tale which deserves the attention of new audiences.”—Midwest Book Review

Carlo Collodi was born in Florence, Italy, in 1826. At the age of twenty-two, he became a journalist to work for the Italian independence struggle and also wrote comedies and edited newspapers and reviews. In 1861, when Italy became a united nation, Collodi gave up journalism and settled down as a theatrical censor and magazine editor. He then turned to children's fantasy, and in 1881 the first chapter of Pinocchio appeared in the Giornale Dei Bambini and became an immediate success. Collodi died in Florence in 1890.

Susan O’Malley (a.k.a. Bernadette Dunne) is the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and has twice been nominated for the prestigious Audie® Award. She studied at the Royal National Theatre in London and the Studio Theater in Washington, DC, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center and off Broadway. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.