Oh Pinocchio

Carlo Collodi’s wooden puppet continues to inspire authors and illustrators all over the world. With ‘Oh Pinocchio’, Carll Cneut and Imme Dros add a remarkable retelling to that tradition. In the book Dros works magic with her pen and Cneut with his paintbrush.

Dros steps back a little from the original text, but the story retains its essence. She has dared to add sharp dialogue and to cut a number of characters and passages, making this version more dynamic than the original.

What is scrapped in the text is depicted by Cneut. He too adapts the story at will in his own unique style. With beautiful compositions in a restricted but rich palette of red, blue, black and white, he creates an enchanting world with a nocturnal atmosphere in which trees, plants and formidable animal characters play a prominent part. The full-page illustrations, developed by means of a layered acrylic technique, form a striking contrast to the scattered little black-and-white drawings, which are sketchier and more expressive. One time we see the detail of people’s faces, whereas on other pages they are depicted in a few strokes of the pen. There’s the same contrast in Pinocchio himself: a little figure with an expressive face but with arms and legs that are no more than sticks. Not until right at the end is he given real hands. In ‘Oh Pinocchio’, Cneut and Dros bring the 140-year-old wooden puppet back to life in a way that is truly impressive.