Pinocchio Pinocchio tells the story of a naughty puppet and his many adventures. Here are two extracts where characters show their true feeling through their actions, rather than the words that they say: ‘As I lay there on Papa’s workbench having my new feet fitted, Mama gave me a good ticking-off, covering me with kisses all the while. But all I could think about was my stomach. “I’m so hungry, Mama,” I whispered. “Can I have some chocolate?” Papa came back an hour or so later, smiling from ear to ear as he came in the door. “Here you are, Pinocchio, my boy,” he said. “Look what I have for you.” He had a book in his hand. “For you, Pinocchio. Your ABC for school.” “Papa?” Mama said. “Where is your coat? What have you done with it?” “I sold it,” Papa said, “to buy the book for the boy. What can be more important to a boy than learning?” He shrugged. “Anyway, that old coat was always too warm for me, too long in the sleeve, and it itched. I’m better off without it.” What a truly wonderful father I had. I ran to him, leapt into his arms and hugged him.’
Illustrations © Emma Chichester Clark, 2013
Storytelling challenge: Can you use a character’s actions to tell the reader about a character’s true feelings and emotions?
You should: • Think of a character you know well and choose an emotion or strong feeling for them. • Can you think of something a character might do if they were feeling the emotion you’ve chosen? • Working with a partner, describe your character’s actions and see if your partner can guess how they were feeling.
You might: • Try writing character descriptions that show how a character really feels or what they really think. Remember, you can use this idea in your creative writing or storytelling.
Illustrations © Emma Chichester Clark, 2013
Stuck for ideas? You could make up an entirely new character, or you could borrow a character from a story you know well already. Perhaps your character is: • Excited, but doesn’t want to show it • Angry, but is trying to stay calm • Telling a lie, but is trying to sound truthful
Pinocchio