Strega Nona (Caldecott Honor Book)

by Tomie dePaola

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

The classic tale of Big Anthony and the magic cooking pot. When left alone with one task—tend the house—Anthony’s curiosity gets the best of him. This picture book is funny, heartfelt, and impossible to forget.

When Strega Nona leaves him alone with her magic pasta pot, Big Anthony is determined to show the townspeople how it works in this classic Caldecott Honor book from Tomie dePaola.

Strega Nona—"Grandma Witch"—is the source for potions, cures, magic, and comfort in her Calabrian town. Her magical everfull pasta pot is especially intriguing to hungry Big Anthony. He is supposed to look after her house and tend her garden but one day, when she goes over the mountain to visit Strega Amelia, Big Anthony recites the magic verse over the pasta pot, with disastrous results.

In this retelling of an old tale, author-illustrator Tomie dePaola combines humor in the writing and warmth in the paintings as he builds the story to its hilarious climax.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780671662837
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	08/01/1975
Series:	A Strega Nona Book
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	AD730L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Tomie dePaola (1934-2020) was the beloved author and/or illustrator of more than 270 books for young readers, including the children's classic Strega Nona. He was the recipient of the Newbery Honor, Caldecott Honor, and the 2011 Children's Literature Legacy Award for "significant and lasting contribution to children's literature." A native of Connecticut, Mr. dePaola studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and spent much of his life in New London, New Hampshire. Visit his work online at Tomie.com.

Hometown:

Connecticut and New Hampshire

Date of Birth:

September 15, 1935

Place of Birth:

Meriden, CT

Website:

http://www.tomie.com/main.html

Editorial Reviews

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!

Barnes & Noble Staff

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.

Kirkus Reviews

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."

From the Publisher

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

JUN/JUL 00 - AudioFile