卡洛·科洛迪（Carlo Collodi）原名卡爾洛·洛倫齊尼，1826年11月24日齣生在意大利托斯坎納地區一個叫科洛迪的小鎮。他的筆名便是由這個小鎮的名稱而來。科洛迪精通法文，曾翻譯過法國貝羅的童話，為廣大小讀者所喜愛。

科洛迪一生中，曾寫過許多短篇小說、隨筆、評論，然而最著名的要數他寫給孩子們看的童話故事，這些童話想像力豐富，人物形象栩栩如生，情節麯摺動人，為他贏得瞭巨大的聲譽。

主要作品有：《小手杖》（1876）、《小木片》（1878）、《小手杖漫遊意大利》、《小手杖地理》、《小手杖文法》、《木偶奇遇記》、《眼睛和鼻子》（1881）、《快樂的故事》（1887），最後兩部作品是《愉快的符號》和《諷刺雜談》（1892）。

Winner of the 2002 Independent Publisher Book Award for Juvenile/Young Adult fiction (presented at BookExpo America), this book signifies a modern link to the Pinocchio tradition with a complete and unabridged, newly translated text by Carol della Chiesa and more than 100 extraordinary illustrations in color and black and white.

New illustrations by Iassen Ghiuselev accompany his 1994 award-winning originals and are distinguished by their museum quality. The artwork meets the finest standards in book production and reclaims this time-honored story for children and adults alike. A modern classic for all ages, printed on acid-free paper, and bound in Italy, it is a treasure of a book and a gift to be remembered.

This book has also been chosen as an outstanding example of book design in the American Institute of Graphic Arts Award annual competition, and received an Honorable Mention for Excellence in Book Design in Canada by the ALCUIN Society. Illustrator Iassen Ghiuselev was the winner of the Illustrator of the Year Award at the Bologna Book Fair in 1994.