This well-known fairy tale follows the adventures of a mischievous puppet without strings, Pinocchio. Pinocchio is at once a tragicomic character, and a poor, illiterate peasant boy who has few choices in life but usually chooses to shirk his responsibilities. In his compelling introduction, Jack Zipes discusses 'Pinocchio' in the contexts of the folk tale and the literary fairy tale, showing how Collodi subverts these traditions and raising questions about how we 'civilise' children in uncivilised times.