Strega Nona

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Strega Nona
Strega Nona (Tomie dePaola book) cover art.jpg
Cover with correct "an original tale..." subtitle
Author Tomie dePaola
Original titleStrega Nonna
IllustratorTomie dePaola
Cover artistTomie dePaola
LanguageEnglish
Genre Children's book
Published 1975
Publisher Prentice Hall, New Jersey
Publication placeUnited States of America
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
ISBN 0138516006
LC Class PZ8.1.D43 St

Strega Nona is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola. If considered as a folktale, the story is Aarne-Thompson type 565, the Magic Mill. It concerns Strega Nona (resembling what would be "Grandma Witch" in Italian, although this would actually be "Nonna Strega", with the two words reversed and the first one spelled with a double n) and her helper, Big Anthony. With only a single "n" (i.e., Nona), the title actually means "Ninth Witch" in Italian. The book, which is likely dePaola's best-known work, was published in 1975 and won a Caldecott Honor in 1976. [1] [2] It was one of the "Top 100 Picture Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by School Library Journal . [3] Strega Nona has been challenged or banned in some children's libraries in the United States because it depicts magic and witchcraft in a positive light. [4]

Contents

Plot

Strega Nona is a wise woman and witch doctor who lives in Calabria, in southern Italy. Because she is getting old, Strega Nona employs a young man named Big Anthony to do household chores. One night, Big Anthony observes Strega Nona singing to her magic pasta pot to produce large amounts of pasta. However, he fails to notice that she blows three kisses to the pot to stop the pasta production.

Big Anthony shares his discovery with the townsfolk the next day, but he is laughed at. Two days later, while Strega Nona is visiting her friend Strega Amelia, Big Anthony sings to the pasta pot and successfully conjures up large amounts of pasta, which he serves to the townsfolk. However, since Big Anthony cannot stop the pot from cooking, the pasta gradually covers Strega Nona's house and nearly floods the entire town. Disaster is averted when Strega Nona returns and immediately blows the three kisses to stop the pot's cooking; she punishes Big Anthony by making him eat all of the pasta.

Development

Detail of title page of an early printing with incorrect "an old tale retold..." subtitle DePaola Strega Nona Detail of Title Page 1975 Early Printing.jpg
Detail of title page of an early printing with incorrect "an old tale retold..." subtitle

Although the cover and title page of early printings of the book stated that Strega Nona is "an old tale retold and illustrated by Tomie dePaola", in truth dePaola invented the character and the story himself. [5] He wrote the words "Strega Nona" next to a doodle of a woman's head he drew in the early 1970s and later made her the main character in his story based on the Sweet Porridge fairy tale. [6] Later printings of the book bear the accurate subtitle "an original tale written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola".

In the Italian language, the word "strega" means "witch" and the word "nonna" means "grandmother", misspelled as "nona" in the book title. Hence "Strega Nona" means "Grandma Witch". [6] It is clear in the stories, mainly Strega Nona, Her Story, that Nona is the character's actual name. [6]

Other books

Strega Nona and Big Anthony also appear in other books by dePaola, including:

Other media

See also

References

  1. Mehegan, David (2007-12-10). "Tomie dePaola knows his audience". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
  2. Association for Library Service to Children (30 November 1999). "Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938-Present". American Library Association. Retrieved 2013-01-12.
  3. Bird, Elizabeth (2012-07-06). "Top 100 Picture Books Poll Results". School Library Journal "A Fuse #8 Production" blog. Archived from the original on December 4, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  4. Zawadzki, Mary (2019-09-27). "Banned Book Week 2019: Strega Nona". Cotsen Children’s Library. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  5. MacPherson, Karen (2009-11-17). "Talking with 'Strega Nona' author Tomie dePaola". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2013-01-12. DePaola says people often tell him that their parents or grandparents told them stories about Strega Nona, as if she were part of Italian folklore. In fact, dePaola invented her and said it was the publisher's idea to call it an 'old tale.'
  6. 1 2 3 dePaola, Tomie. "Notes on Strega Nona by Tomie..." Retrieved 2013-01-12.
  7. Strega Nonna at IMDb
  8. "Caldecott Literature Series: Strega Nona". New Hampshire Public Television. Archived from the original on 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2013-01-12.
  9. "Tomie dePaola's Strega Nona The Musical". 2010-10-29. Retrieved 2013-01-12.
  10. Graeber, Laurel (2006-10-13). "Family Fare: A Benevolent Sorcerer and a Bumbling Apprentice". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-01-12.
  11. DePaola, Tomie (1989). Strega Nona. Internet Archive. [New York, NY] : Simon & Schuster/Chardiet Unlimited. ISBN   978-0-671-68429-7.
  12. Bottari, Steve. “US stamp in honor of New Hampshire children’s book author Tomie dePaola released”. WMUR. Published May 5, 2023. Accessed May 5, 2023.