Strega Nona
By Tomie dePaola; Tomie dePaola (Illustrator)
(Aladdin, Paperback, 9780671666064, 32pp.)
Publication Date: September 3, 1979
Other Editions of This Title: Library Binding, Board Book, Paperback
Categories: Fairy Tales & Folklore - Single Title, Fairy Tales & Folklore - European, Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
 |     |
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 (whose middle names is Anthony) combines humor in the writing and warmth in the paintings as he builds the story to its hilarious climax.
Tomie dePaola is one of the most popular children's book authors and illustrators of our time. His humor, insight, and gentle art delight all readers. A Newbery Honor award winner, he has written and illustrated a number of books for Simon & Schuster, including Caldecott Honor Book Strega Nona, as well as Andy: That's My Name, Watch Out for the Chicken Feet in Your Soup, and "Charlie Needs a Cloak." A native of Connecticut, Mr. dePaola studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and now lives in New London, New Hampshire.
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."
 |
Flight Behavior Barbara Kingsolver Harper |
 |
The Art Forger Barbara Shapiro Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill |
 |
Sweeth Tooth Ian McEwan Nan A. Talese |
 |
The Light Between Oceans ML Steadman Scribner |
