''Strega Nona'' is a children's picturebook written and illustrated by
Tomie dePaola
Thomas Anthony "Tomie" dePaola (; September 15, 1934 – March 30, 2020) was an American writer and illustrator who created more than 260 children's books, such as '' Strega Nona''. He received the Children's Literature Legacy Award for his lifeti ...
. If considered as a
folktale
A folktale or folk tale is a folklore genre that typically consists of a story passed down from generation to generation orally.
Folktale may also refer to:
Categories of stories
* Folkloric tale from oral tradition
* Fable (written form of the a ...
, the story is
Aarne-Thompson type 565, the Magic Mill. It concerns Strega Nona ("Grandma Witch" in Italian, though it is actually spelled as ''nonna'') and her helper, Big Anthony. Big Anthony causes the title character's magic pasta pot to create so much
pasta
Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Rice flour, or legumes such as beans or lentils, are som ...
that it nearly floods and buries a town. The book, which is likely dePaola's best-known work, was published in 1975 and won a
Caldecott Honor
The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...
in 1976. It was one of the "Top 100 Picture Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by ''
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
''.
Plot
Set in
Calabria
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, in southern Italy, the book focuses on the exploits of Strega Nona. She is a sort of
wise Woman and
witch doctor
A witch doctor (also spelled witch-doctor) was originally a type of Folk healer, healer who treated ailments believed to be caused by witchcraft. The term is now more commonly used to refer to Alternative medicine, healers, particularly in region ...
noted throughout her home
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
for her numerous successful remedies. She helps her fellow villagers with their troubles, most notably by curing headaches, helping single women find husbands, and ridding people of warts.
Because she is getting old, Strega Nona employs the assistance of a young man named Big Anthony to do the household chores. Knowing that he pays little attention, Strega Nona informs Big Anthony of his duties carefully and clearly, adding only one restriction - never to touch her magic pasta pot. Big Anthony complies, but one night he secretly observes Strega Nona singing a spell to the magic pasta pot to produce large amounts of cooked
spaghetti
Spaghetti () is a long, thin, solid, cylindrical pasta.[spaghetti](_blank)
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridg ...
noodles; the man is impressed, but unfortunately, he fails to notice that she blows kisses to the pot three times to stop the pasta production.
Big Anthony tries to share his discovery with the townsfolk the next day, but he is laughed at and disbelieved. He vows to one day impress them by making the pasta pot cook by himself. He gets his chance two days later when Strega Nona leaves to visit her friend Strega Amelia and leaves the house in his care. The moment she is gone, Big Anthony gets out the pasta pot and successfully conjures up large amounts of pasta, which he then serves to the townsfolk. However, since Big Anthony cannot stop the pot from cooking, the spaghetti gradually cover 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.
The townsfolk want to lynch Big Anthony, but Strega Nona intervenes, saying "
the punishment must fit the crime," and hands a fork to Big Anthony and commands him to eat all of the pasta he has conjured. By nightfall, he is stuffed.
Development
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. He wrote the words "Strega Nona" next to a
doodle
A doodle is a drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise occupied. Doodles are simple drawings that can have concrete representational meaning or may just be composed of random and abstract lines or shapes, generally without ever lift ...
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
"Sweet Porridge" (german: Der süße Brei), often known in English under the title of "The Magic Porridge Pot", is a folkloric German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm, as tale number 103 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'', in the 19th century. ...
fairy tale.
Later printings of the book bear the accurate subtitle "an original tale written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola".
In the
Italian language
Italian (''italiano'' or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. Together with Sardinian, Italian is the least divergent language from Latin. Spoken by about 85 m ...
, the word "strega" means "witch" and the word "nonna" means "grandmother", misspelled as "nona" in the book title. Hence "Strega Nona" means "Grandma Witch".
[ It is clear in the stories, mainly ''Strega Nona, Her Story'', that Nona is the character's actual name.][
]
Other books
Strega Nona and Big Anthony also appear in other books by dePaola, including:
* ''Big Anthony and the Magic Ring'' (1979): Introduces Bambolona, "the baker's daughter."
* ''Strega Nona's Magic Lessons'' (1982): Big Anthony disguises himself as a girl and takes magic lessons from Strega Nona, who is also teaching Bambolona.
* ''Merry Christmas, Strega Nona'' (1986): Strega Nona abandons her usual pursuits in order to prepare a Christmas dinner for the entire town.
* ''Strega Nona Meets Her Match'' (1993): Her friend Strega Amelia sets up a modern cure shop which competes with Strega Nona's cure shop.
* ''Strega Nona—Her Story'' (1996): Covers Strega Nona's life, telling the readers how she got the magic pasta pot and learned her magic (it all came from the help of her grandmother, Grandma Concetta).
* ''Big Anthony—His Story'' (1998): Tells of his life since childhood and how his family noticed that Big Anthony simply does not pay attention.
* ''Strega Nona Takes a Vacation'' (2000): Strega Nona goes on vacation and sends gifts of candy and bubble baths to Bambolona and Big Anthony.
* ''Brava, Strega Nona!: A Heartwarming Pop-Up Book'' (2008): Strega Nona gives advice about life.
* ''Strega Nona's Harvest'' (2009): Strega Nona teaches Big Anthony about gardening and the importance of order.
* ''Strega Nona's Gift'' (2011): Concerns Italian holiday traditions.
* ''Strega Nona Does It Again'' (2013): Strega Nona has the perfect remedy for a houseguest who overstays her welcome.
Other media
* Weston Woods Studios
Weston Woods Studios (or simply Weston Woods) is a production company that makes audio and short films based on well-known books for children.
It was founded in 1953 by Morton Schindel in Weston, Connecticut, and named after the wooded area near h ...
produced on January 1, 1977, a short animated film entitled ''Strega Nonna'' based on the book, directed by Gene Deitch
Eugene Merril Deitch (August 8, 1924 – April 16, 2020) was an American illustrator, animator, comics artist, and film director who was based in Prague from the 1960s until his death in 2020. Deitch was known for creating animated cartoons ...
.
* Thomas Olson and Roberta Carlson adapted ''Strega Nona'', ''Big Anthony and the Magic Ring'', and ''Strega Nona Her Story'' as ''Strega Nona The Musical'' for the 1986–1987 season of the Children's Theatre Company
The Children's Theatre Company is a regional theater established in 1965 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, specializing in plays for families, young audiences and the very young. The theater is the largest theater for multigenerational audiences in th ...
in Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
. The musical, which went on tour, was also known as "Tomie dePaola’s Strega Nona."
* Strega Nona, Big Anthony, and Bambolona appeared as supporting characters in the 2001 television series ''Telling Stories with Tomie dePaola
''Telling Stories with Tomie dePaola'' is a 2001 children's television series produced by The Jim Henson Company.
Plot
This show is about Tomie dePaola and his squirrel sidekick Gabe who present stories revolving around his storybook characters.
...
'' with Strega Nona performed by Bill Barretta
William Paul Barretta (born June 19, 1964) is an American puppeteer, actor, producer, writer, and director, who is best known for providing the puppetry and voice of characters such as Pepe the King Prawn, Johnny Fiama, Big Mean Carl, and Bobo ...
and Bambolona performed by Julianne Buescher
Julianne Buescher (born February 4, 1965) is an American actress, writer, and puppeteer who performs in film, television, radio, and on stage. As a voice actress, she is known for many roles including Anko Mitarashi on ''Naruto''. She hails fro ...
.
See also
* The Sorcerer's Apprentice
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (german: "Der Zauberlehrling", link=no, italic=no) is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe written in 1797. The poem is a ballad in 14 stanzas.
Story
The poem begins as an old magician (fantasy), sorcerer departs his ...
* Sweet Porridge
"Sweet Porridge" (german: Der süße Brei), often known in English under the title of "The Magic Porridge Pot", is a folkloric German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm, as tale number 103 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'', in the 19th century. ...
* Why the Sea is Salt
* The Master and his Pupil
* The Water Mother
The Water Mother is a Chinese fairy tale collected by Wolfram Eberhard in ''Folktales of China''. It does not exist in early text, although the cult of the Water Mother existed from the time of the Song dynasty.
Wolfram Eberhard pointed out that ...
* ''Bless Me, Ultima
''Bless Me, Ultima'' is a coming-of-age novel by Rudolfo Anaya centering on Antonio Márez y Luna and his mentorship under his '' curandera'' and protector, Ultima. It has become the most widely read and critically acclaimed novel in the Chicano ...
''
References
{{reflist
1975 children's books
American picture books
Caldecott Honor-winning works
Fictional witches
Fictional characters who use magic
Children's fiction books
Witchcraft in written fiction
Works by Tomie de Paola