Strega Nona (Book)

De Paola, T. (1975). Strega Nona. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-671-66283-X

Interest Level: Ages 3 to 7
Genre: Picture Book
Subjects/Themes: Magic, Folk Tales, Witches, Pasta, Greed, Temptation, Caldecott

Plot: Strega Nona is a witch who creates potions to help other people with their problems.  She hires Big Anthony to help her keep house.  The one rule of the house is that Big Anthony is never to touch Strega Nona's pasta pot.  Strega Nona's pasta pot would make pasta appear when she sang to it and disappear when she sang again to it and blew it three kisses.  Big Anthony told the townsfolk about the magic pasta pot but nobody believed him.  When Strega Nona leaves on a trip Big Anthony makes the pot make pasta for the whole village.  But Big Anthony had only saw Strega Nona singing to the pot not blowing kisses and could not get the pot to stop making pasta.  Soon the pasta overflowed the house and into the village.  Strega Nona comes home and rescues the village from the pasta.  As punishment, Big Anthony is forced to clean the village and Strega Nona's house by eating all the pasta.

Personal Thoughts: A good folk story with a good moral of listening to what you are told and following the rules.  Big Anthony is a realistic character and gets angry when the townsfolk don't believe his story.  Strega Nona is depicted as a kind old witch who helps others out with her potions but also disciplines them appropriately.  The illustrations are full of detail and help tell the story well.  A great story for preschool storytimes with a friendly witches or doing the right thing theme.

Awards/Recognition:
Caldecott Honor Book (1976)
ALA Notable Children's Book
Kirkus Choice
Horn Book Honor List
Nakamori Prize
Brooklyn Museum & Public Library Art Books for Children Citation (N.Y.)

Other Books in the Series:
Strega Nona Her Story (1996); Strega Nona Meets Her Match (1993); Strega Nona Takes a Vacation (2000)

Author Website: Offical Tomie de Paola Website