Teaching Companion · Chapter 17 · The Adventures of Pinocchio

This chapter's big question

Pinocchio promises not to need begging next time, then lies three times about the gold. Did the black Rabbits teach him nothing, or only one thing and not another?

The tension Pinocchio drinks the medicine only when the coffin comes and vows to remember the Rabbits, yet within minutes he is lying to the Fairy who has just nursed him.

Today's focus

Notice what Pinocchio promises after the medicine, and what he says to the Fairy only a few minutes later.

Two core ideas

A lesson can reach one place and miss another: Pinocchio says he will remember the Rabbits, then lies about the gold.
The author tells serious things in a comic way: Rabbits who grumble, and a nose too long for the door.

The shape at a glance

The Fairy brings Pinocchio a bitter medicine, and he stalls with sugar, a pillow and a door. When four black Rabbits come with a coffin, he drinks it at one gulp and feels fine. He says that next time he will not have to be begged, then tells the Fairy about the Fox, the Cat and the Assassins. When she asks about the gold he lies three times, his nose grows until it will not fit through the door, and the Fairy sits laughing.

A way in

Start with the glass: ask what Pinocchio says before the Rabbits come, and what he says to the Fairy about the gold.

Lesson plan

Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the bitter water, the sugar, the excuses, the Rabbits, the story, the three lies, and the nose.

Imitate the author After copying the sentence, the student writes one sentence in the same pattern: how someone looked, what they did, and what they asked.

Debate Take sides on the big question: did the black Rabbits teach Pinocchio nothing, or only one thing and not another? Each side uses one quote from the chapter.

Purpose Close by asking why a story might send a boy from a coffin to a lie in the same chapter.

Easier Read the Rabbits scene aloud together and talk through discussion questions 3 and 4 only.

On level Talk through all five discussion questions, then have the student give one critical-thinking answer aloud with two things from the chapter.

Harder Ask the student to find one more place where Pinocchio says one thing and does another, and to say what it shows.

Discussion

Pinocchio wants sugar first, then complains about the pillow, then the door. What is he really doing? What makes you think so?Inference
What it asks It asks whether the pillow and the door are real troubles or reasons to wait, and what the order of Pinocchio's complaints shows.
One reading

He is stalling: each new complaint comes right after the Fairy fixes the last one.
- Because that feather pillow on my feet bothers me.
- I don’t like the way that door looks. It’s half open.
Another reading

He truly dreads the taste: he is sure it is bitter before he has tried it.
- I can imagine it. I smell it.
- I don’t like anything bitter.
Listen for
- Uses the order of the complaints.
- Notices that he has not tasted the water yet.
If stuck
- What does the Fairy do after he complains about the pillow?
- What does he complain about next?
- Has Pinocchio tasted the medicine when he says it is too bitter?
A strong answer Each complaint arrives just after the Fairy has fixed the one before: first the sugar, then the pillow, then the door. That looks like a boy putting off the glass. But he also says he can imagine and smell how bitter it is, so the dread may be real. A strong answer says what he is really doing and uses the order of his complaints.
The Fairy gives more sugar, moves the pillow and shuts the door instead of scolding. Is that good patience, or too soft? Why?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks whether fixing every complaint is the right kind of patience, or lets Pinocchio keep putting off the medicine.
One reading

It is good patience: she keeps handing him the glass and reminds him of his promise.
- The Fairy, with all the patience of a good mother, gave him more sugar and again handed him the glass.
- Now keep your promise and drink these few drops of water.
Another reading

It is too soft: every kindness buys another excuse.
- I want another lump of sugar, then I’ll drink it.
- It’s no use. I can’t drink it even now.
Listen for
- Names one thing the Fairy gives or does.
- Says what it did for Pinocchio, with a reason.
If stuck
- What does the Fairy give him after the first lump of sugar?
- Does he drink after she takes the pillow away?
- What does she say about his promise?
A strong answer The Fairy gives him sugar, then more sugar, takes away the pillow and closes the door, and each time she hands him the glass again. That is patience, and she reminds him of his promise. But every kindness is followed by another excuse, and he still does not drink. A strong answer weighs her patience against what it gets her, and says whether good patience or too soft fits better.
Pinocchio says he is “Not a bit” afraid of death. Then he cries, “I don’t want to die!” Which sounds truer? Why?Character
What it asks It asks which of Pinocchio's two statements about dying is truer, and what the black Rabbits show about the first.
One reading

The first is truer: he holds to it while the Fairy warns him again and again.
- Not a bit. I’d rather die than drink that awful medicine.
- I don’t care.
Another reading

The second is truer: as soon as he sees the coffin he cries out and swallows.
- I don’t want to die! No, no, not yet--not yet!
- he swallowed the medicine at one gulp
Listen for
- Uses his words before the Rabbits and after.
- Gives a reason for which sounds truer.
If stuck
- What does he say when the Fairy asks if he is afraid of death?
- What does he cry out when the Rabbits come?
- What does he do with the glass right after?
A strong answer Before the Rabbits come he says he is not a bit afraid and would rather die than drink, and he answers the Fairy's warnings with I don't care three times. When they carry in the coffin he cries that he does not want to die and swallows the medicine at one gulp. A strong answer picks which statement sounds truer and uses his words from before and after.
Why might the author show danger as four black Rabbits with a coffin, and not just tell us Pinocchio is in danger?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what the picture of the Rabbits and the coffin does that the Fairy's warnings did not.
One reading

Seeing it makes the danger real, and Pinocchio stops arguing.
- At that moment, the door of the room flew open and in came four Rabbits as black as ink, carrying a small black coffin on their shoulders.
- For me? But I’m not dead yet!
Another reading

It also makes the scene half funny, like a storybook, because the Rabbits grumble as they go.
- this time we have made the trip for nothing
- muttering and grumbling between their teeth
Listen for
- Points to the Rabbits, the coffin or the black color.
- Compares what the Fairy said with what the Rabbits do.
If stuck
- What does the Fairy say the fever will do?
- What does Pinocchio answer her?
- What do the Rabbits do when he drinks?
A strong answer The Fairy has already told him the fever will take him far away to another world, and he says I don't care. Four Rabbits as black as ink carrying a small black coffin is a picture he cannot argue with. The Rabbits also grumble that they made the trip for nothing, which is almost funny. A strong answer says what the picture does that words did not, and whether it is scary, funny or both.
The Fairy laughs at Pinocchio’s lies and tells him how lies are known. Is she gentle with him, or making fun? What makes you think so?Tone
What it asks It asks whether the Fairy's laughing is gentle teasing or unkind mocking, and what her words and Pinocchio's shame show.
One reading

She is gentle: she calls him my boy and explains how lies are found out.
- Lies, my boy, are known in a moment.
- There are two kinds of lies, lies with short legs and lies with long noses.
Another reading

She is making fun: she says plainly that she is laughing at him, and he is ashamed.
- I am laughing at your lies.
- Pinocchio, not knowing where to hide his shame, tried to escape from the room
Listen for
- Uses the Fairy's own words.
- Notices how Pinocchio feels while she laughs.
If stuck
- What does the Fairy call Pinocchio when she tells him about lies?
- What does she say she is laughing at?
- How does Pinocchio feel at the end?
A strong answer The Fairy says she is laughing at his lies, and he is so ashamed that he tries to escape the room. That sounds like making fun. But she calls him my boy and tells him plainly how lies are known, like a teacher showing him something. A strong answer says gentle, making fun, or both, and uses her words and his shame.

Critical thinking

Pinocchio tells the Fairy how he met the Fox and the Cat. Using two things from the chapter, tell whether he blames them or himself.
What it asks It asks the student to listen to how Pinocchio tells his own story, and whether he owns his part in it.
One reading

He blames himself: he tells how he answered Yes and said Let's go.
- And I said, ‘Yes.’
- And I said, ‘Let’s go.’
Another reading

He blames them: he tells it as something the Fox and the Cat began, and left him.
- a Fox and a Cat, who asked me, ‘Do you want the five pieces to become two thousand?’
- When I awoke they were gone and I started out in the darkness all alone.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that says who he blames.
If stuck
- What do the Fox and the Cat ask him?
- What does Pinocchio say back?
- What does he say happened while he slept?
A strong answer Pinocchio tells it so that the Fox and the Cat ask the questions and then are gone when he wakes, which puts the weight on them. But he also reports his own answers, Yes and Let's go, so he admits he agreed. A strong answer says who he blames, using two things he says.
Pinocchio says, “all boys hate medicine more than they do sickness.” Using two things from the chapter, tell whether that is a good excuse.
What it asks It asks whether hating the taste is a good enough reason for what Pinocchio did, given what the medicine did for him.
One reading

It is partly true: he really did hate it, face after face.
- I don’t like anything bitter.
- making more wry faces
Another reading

It is a weak excuse: the medicine was good for him, as he admits.
- Boys ought to know, after all, that medicine, taken in time, can save them from much pain and even from death.
- Good indeed! It has given me new life.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that says whether it is a good excuse.
If stuck
- What does he say about bitter things before he tastes it?
- How does he feel after the medicine?
- What does the Fairy say boys ought to know?
A strong answer He did hate the idea of it: he makes wry faces and says he does not like anything bitter. But after he drinks he says it has given him new life, and the Fairy says medicine taken in time can save boys from much pain. A strong answer says whether it is a good excuse, using two things from the chapter.
Pinocchio’s nose grows with each lie. Using two things from the chapter, tell what the lies cost him.
What it asks It asks the student to find what the long nose does to Pinocchio, and what he cannot do any longer.
One reading

They cost him his comfort: the nose gets in the way of everything.
- he could not even turn around
- he almost put the Fairy’s eyes out
Another reading

They cost him his hiding place: every lie shows, and he cannot get away.
- At this third lie, his nose became longer than ever
- he could not get it out of the door
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that says what the lies cost him.
If stuck
- What happens to his nose at the first, second and third lie?
- What can he not do when he turns?
- What happens when he tries to leave the room?
A strong answer With each lie the nose grows, until he cannot even turn around without knocking the bed, the windowpanes or the Fairy's eyes. When he tries to hide his shame he cannot get his nose out of the door. A strong answer says what the lies cost him, using two things from the chapter.