Master Carver

Geppetto

Pinocchio

     A middle-aged Italian woodcarver from Florence, Italy, was roaming through the fog-filled forest when he accidently found a perfectly aged dark burgundy cherry wood log that had been cast aside next to a campfire. It had been abandoned by some weary travelers who were making a pilgrimage to Venice to participate in the annual Carnival of Venice. It seemed perfect for the mask he was going to carve.

     Geppetto was astonished when he started to carve out some of the intricate knot holes.

He dropped the old seasoned log when he heard a playful voice call out to him: “Prove you’re a master artisan and make a marionette out of me. When you do, I will come to life and you’ll never feel alone again.” When he was finally done, the magical piece of cherry wood was transformed from a marionette into a little boy who came to life. He called his son Pinocchio.

Hal S. Kataoka, M.A., Educational Psychology    

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