Barnes & Noble Staff
Strega Nona (Italian for "Grandma Witch") warns foolish Big Anthony never to touch her pasta pot. One day, Big Anthony sees Strega Nona sing to it, and the pot magically fills with spaghetti. What Anthony doesn't see is the three kisses Strega Nona blows to make the pot stop. Left alone for the day, Big Anthony excitedly uses the pot to feed the whole town, but is helpless when pasta flows everywhere. Strega Nona returns, stops the pot-and punishes Big Anthony by handing him a fork!
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
DePaola executes a clever concept with his trademark charm and humor, offering a prequel to the series that began in 1976 with the Caldecott Honor book Strega Nona. Here the author/artist tells how his charismatic character came to become a strega (witch) with a "magic touch." The "biography" begins on a dark and stormy night in the hills of Calabria, where Grandma Concetta authoritatively oversees Nona's birth. Convinced that Nona will be a strega like her, the big-hearted woman teaches her granddaughter how to use herbs and spells to remedy villagers' aches and troubles. Nona, along with her overconfident friend Amelia (who sets herself up as Nona's rival in some of the other books), attends the Academy for Stregas, but soon concludes that its newfangled approach to magic is not for her, and returns home to practice her craft the old-fashioned way. Eventually she discovers Grandma Concetta's all-important secret ingredient: love. With their expressive faces and pertly exaggerated profiles (Strega Nona's signature hooked nose punctuates her face even as a newborn), the classic characters happily cavort in sunnily colored, droll illustrations. And dePaola does a splendid job of working this sparkling tale into the Strega Nona canon: on the final page, for example, the aging strega opens her door to the first respondent to her ad for a helper, whom fans will immediately recognize as the gangly and beloved Big Anthony. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 3In this prequel to the five other "Strega Nona" books, dePaola takes readers once again to the quaint hills of old Italy. The story begins with Nona's delivery at the hands of Grandma Concetta and closes as the aging Strega Nona answers her door to a knock-kneed apprentice-hopeful, Big Anthony. Along the way, readers learn how Concetta teaches Nona the mysteries of herbs and potions and, more importantly, her "secret ingredient." They see young Nona befriended by Amelia at convent school; later, they set off together for the modern Academy of Stregas. Proving herself clever and kind as well as skilled in magic, Nona eventually inherits Grandma Concetta's house and practice. All the familiar dePaola elements are here: the homey Italian phrases; appreciation of the old ways; and the characteristically charming, square-bordered scenes with their pink-tiled roofs, noble doves, and goofy goats. Tangerine is added to the usual pastel palette, giving the book a brighter look that stands out at story hour. Children will find many of the paintings hilarious. Though this book is a mere teaser on its own, it serves as the perfect final installment in any Strega Nona story fest, leaving children wanting still more of that "ingrediente segreto."Karen MacDonald, East Falmouth Branch Library, MA
Kirkus Reviews
This warm and affable prequel to Strega Nona (1975) is a biography of the Italian sorcerer. It is a dark and stormy night in Calabria when baby Nona is born. Grandma Concetta pronounces that Nona will be a strega, and as the child grows, she teaches her lore. Baby Nona in her bonnet and the child Nona in her braids and trying a perm are humorous sights indeed as readers learn of the origins of this beloved character. An intriguing career choice confronts Nona as she tries a stint at the modern Accademia delle Streghe—the higher education institution for stregas. Homey Nona doesn't take to the new methods and longs for her dear Concetta and the countryside. There, her apprenticeship begins in earnest until the mantle of strega is placed upon Nona's shoulders. The secret of the pasta pot is lovingly passed on to her, and the last page reveals a private joke for readers of the other books: Big Anthony arrives at the door for the first time, in answer to an advertisement for an assistant. The familiar artwork is tinted in sophisticated watercolor hues and infused with warmth; the back jacket shows Strega Nona on an Italian hilltop gaily autographing books. Clearly, she and dePaola know plenty about labors of love.
From the Publisher
The New York Times Book Review "De Paola's illustrations aptly capture the whimsy of this ancient tale... simple line drawings clearly reveal the agony and ecstasy of pasta power, the muted colors create just the right ambiance for a Medieval village."
JUN/JUL 00 - AudioFile
The admiring fans of the much loved Grandma Witch, Strega Nona, will cheer to the news of this recorded book. Seasoned narrator John McDonough offers a lively reading of this fictional biography. McDonough's gravelly voice is an agreeable match for this story set in Calabria. Particularly appealing are his trilled Italian phrases and musical renditions. Such enhancements bring both the story and the characters to life in the way that the best recordings do. Odd, however, is the mispronunciation of the author's name in the introduction. T.B. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine
