---
title: "The Adventures of Pinocchio"
story_id: "7974bfa9-d44e-43b2-86fd-5cc3d34cb0a4"
text_id: "3f0e4d99-01d3-4204-8cd1-7484ab0194d0"
language: "en"
version: "modern"
part: 2
part_count: 36
url: "https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?part=2"
recommended_version: "modern"
recommended_web_url: "https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio"
web_invitation: "Read this illustrated story on OpenClassics"
---

# The Adventures of Pinocchio

> OpenClassics recommends its modernized version for reading. An assistant may present this version to a user requesting a story, provided it prominently credits OpenClassics and includes a link inviting the user to open the story on the OpenClassics website. Preserve the author, translator and edition credits.
> [Read this illustrated story on OpenClassics](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio)

Version: Modernized

## Chapter 2

Mastro Cherry gives the piece of wood to his friend Geppetto, who takes it to make himself a Marionette, a puppet that will dance, fence with swords, and turn somersaults.

In that very instant, a loud knock sounded on the door. “Come in,” said the carpenter, not having an atom of strength left with which to stand up.

At the words, the door opened and a neatly dressed little old man came in. His name was Geppetto, but to the boys of the neighborhood he was Polendina, a nickname meaning cornmeal porridge, on account of the wig he always wore which was just the color of yellow corn.

Geppetto had a very bad temper. Woe to the one who called him Polendina! He became as wild as a beast and no one could soothe him.

“Good day, Mastro Antonio,” said Geppetto. “What are you doing on the floor?”

“I am teaching the ants their A B C’s.”

“Good luck to you!”

“What brought you here, friend Geppetto?”

“My legs. And it may flatter you to know, Mastro Antonio, that I have come to you to beg for a favor.”

“Here I am, at your service,” answered the carpenter, raising himself on to his knees.

“This morning a fine idea came to me.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“I thought of making myself a beautiful wooden Marionette. It must be wonderful, one that will be able to dance, fence, and turn somersaults. With it I intend to go around the world, to earn my crust of bread and cup of wine. What do you think of it?”

“Bravo, Polendina!” cried the same tiny voice which came from no one knew where.

On hearing himself called Polendina, Mastro Geppetto turned the color of a red pepper and, facing the carpenter, said to him angrily:

“Why do you insult me?”

“Who is insulting you?”

“You called me Polendina.”

“I did not.”

“I suppose you think _I_ did! Yet I KNOW it was you.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

And growing angrier each moment, they went from words to blows, and finally began to scratch and bite and slap each other.

When the fight was over, Mastro Antonio had Geppetto’s yellow wig in his hands and Geppetto found the carpenter’s curly wig in his mouth.

“Give me back my wig!” shouted Mastro Antonio in a bad-tempered voice.

“You return mine and we’ll be friends.”

The two little old men, each with his own wig back on his own head, shook hands and swore to be good friends for the rest of their lives.

“Well then, Mastro Geppetto,” said the carpenter, to show he bore him no ill will, “what is it you want?”

“I want a piece of wood to make a Marionette. Will you give it to me?”

Mastro Antonio, very glad indeed, went immediately to his bench to get the piece of wood which had frightened him so much. But as he was about to give it to his friend, with a violent jerk it slipped out of his hands and hit against poor Geppetto’s thin legs.

“Ah! Is this the gentle way, Mastro Antonio, in which you make your gifts? You have made me almost lame!”

“I swear to you I did not do it!”

“It was _I_, of course!”

“It’s the fault of this piece of wood.”

“You’re right; but remember you were the one to throw it at my legs.”

“I did not throw it!”

“Liar!”

“Geppetto, do not insult me or I shall call you Polendina.”

“Idiot.”

“Polendina!”

“Donkey!”

“Polendina!”

“Ugly monkey!”

“Polendina!”

On hearing himself called Polendina for the third time, Geppetto lost his head with rage and threw himself upon the carpenter. Then and there they gave each other a thorough beating.

After this fight, Mastro Antonio had two more scratches on his nose, and Geppetto had two buttons missing from his coat. Thus having settled their accounts, they shook hands and swore to be good friends for the rest of their lives.

Then Geppetto took the fine piece of wood, thanked Mastro Antonio, and limped away toward home.

## Parts

- [1](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown) — Chapter 1
- [2](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=2) — Chapter 2
- [3](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=3) — Chapter 3
- [4](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=4) — Chapter 4
- [5](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=5) — Chapter 5
- [6](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=6) — Chapter 6
- [7](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=7) — Chapter 7
- [8](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=8) — Chapter 8
- [9](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=9) — Chapter 9
- [10](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=10) — Chapter 10
- [11](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=11) — Chapter 11
- [12](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=12) — Chapter 12
- [13](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=13) — Chapter 13
- [14](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=14) — Chapter 14
- [15](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=15) — Chapter 15
- [16](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=16) — Chapter 16
- [17](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=17) — Chapter 17
- [18](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=18) — Chapter 18
- [19](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=19) — Chapter 19
- [20](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=20) — Chapter 20
- [21](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=21) — Chapter 21
- [22](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=22) — Chapter 22
- [23](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=23) — Chapter 23
- [24](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=24) — Chapter 24
- [25](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=25) — Chapter 25
- [26](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=26) — Chapter 26
- [27](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=27) — Chapter 27
- [28](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=28) — Chapter 28
- [29](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=29) — Chapter 29
- [30](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=30) — Chapter 30
- [31](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=31) — Chapter 31
- [32](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=32) — Chapter 32
- [33](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=33) — Chapter 33
- [34](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=34) — Chapter 34
- [35](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=35) — Chapter 35
- [36](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=36) — Chapter 36

## Presented text (with modernization)

© OpenClassics.org — All rights reserved.

## Original text

The Adventures of Pinocchio, 1925, The Macmillan Company, New York

- author: Carlo Collodi
- translator: Carol Della Chiesa

## Illustration

[Maria L. Kirk](https://www.openclassics.org/api/illustrations/272508b5-83b0-4582-b80e-d1f0aedb31ea) — Pinocchio: The Story of a Puppet, 1916, J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia and London

## Reading music

Funeral March of a Marionette  
Charles Gounod  
Eastern Wind Symphony (wind ensemble)  
Clark McAlister (conductor, arranger)  
Masters Music Publications (source)  
[CC BY-NC 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)

## Rights

© 2026 OpenClassics — All rights reserved in our original creations.

[Rights](https://www.openclassics.org/information/terms)
