Strega Nona

Rating:
Summary: A great old re-told tale!
Review: Strega Nona, an old tale retold and illustrated by Tomie de Paola, is about an old lady and her magic pasta pot. In this award winning picture book, Paola uses several different frames to show the action of the story. Some pictures are divided into fourths, some into halves, and some take up two full pages. The quartered pages are used to show some form of a continuing action or behavior. The first time this occurs, Big Anthony, the hired help, is weeding the garden. In the next three quarters he is picking the vegetables, getting ready to milk the goat, and peeking inside the window when he hears Strega Nona's voice. In the second set of pictures, Strega Nona calls Big Anthony in for supper, and blows three kisses in succession to her magic pasta pot. That action is shown in quarters two, three, and four. Once again, the quartered frames tell a portion of the story in succession. In frame one, Strega Nona comes into town and sees the pasta overflowing. In frame two, she sings her magic song. In frame three, she blows three kisses at the magic pot, and in frame four the pasta finally stops boiling. Paola also uses just half of a page for the illustration in order to show that there is not much going on at this point. The first picture of the story is just a half of a page. It shows the townspeople whispering about Strega Nona, and it also shows them lined up at her doorstep in need of some help. Another picture shows Strega Nona hiring Big Anthony and explaining to him his chores. In the last half paged picture, Big Anthony goes into town and tells everyone about Strega Nona's magic pasta pot, but he gets laughed at. Paola also uses large pictures that cover two whole pages. These images cross the gutter, and show arising conflict, confusion, and disaster in the story. The first time this happens, pasta is flowing out of Strega Nona's house and is creeping towards the town. The pasta is split across the gutter to show that it is really a large amount of pasta. Big Anthony has sung the magic song and is confused as to why the pasta will not stop cooking. In the next scene, the town is emphasized as being the largest area and is in fact split across the gutter. There is pasta extending down from the top right corner of the page. Now there is a real conflict because the pasta is coming into the town and no one knows how to make it stop. The big disaster lies in the next scene where the pasta has gotten all the way into town and is starting to take over. The people are scared of it and are running away. The pasta has filled the whole left page and is crossing the gutter onto the next page. But down in the bottom right corner of the next page, Strega Nona appears. In the next scene, she stops the pasta and makes Big Anthony eat it all for disobeying her. Big Anthony still has one more corner of pasta to go. He has already eaten the whole left page because there are only small strands and remnants of the pasta left in the corner. Paola does a great job manipulating the pictures to show different amounts of action. In each different framing technique, there is a different approach. He uses the pages divided into fourths to show more continuous action. He uses pictures in halves to show one single action. And he also uses the large illustrations two at a time, to show more destructive actions.

Rating:
Summary: How Can You Tell What's Going On
Review: Strega Nona, an old tale retold and illustrated by Tomie de Paola, is about an old lady and her magic pasta pot. In this award winning picture book, Paola uses several different frames to show the action of the story. Some pictures are divided into fourths, some into halves, and some take up two full pages. The quartered pages are used to show some form of a continuing action or behavior. The first time this occurs, Big Anthony, the hired help, is weeding the garden. In the next three quarters he is picking the vegetables, getting ready to milk the goat, and peeking inside the window when he hears Strega Nona's voice. In the second set of pictures, Strega Nona calls Big Anthony in for supper, and blows three kisses in succession to her magic pasta pot. That action is shown in quarters two, three, and four. Once again, the quartered frames tell a portion of the story in succession. In frame one, Strega Nona comes into town and sees the pasta overflowing. In frame two, she sings her magic song. In frame three, she blows three kisses at the magic pot, and in frame four the pasta finally stops boiling. Paola also uses just half of a page for the illustration in order to show that there is not much going on at this point. The first picture of the story is just a half of a page. It shows the townspeople whispering about Strega Nona, and it also shows them lined up at her doorstep in need of some help. Another picture shows Strega Nona hiring Big Anthony and explaining to him his chores. In the last half paged picture, Big Anthony goes into town and tells everyone about Strega Nona's magic pasta pot, but he gets laughed at. Paola also uses large pictures that cover two whole pages. These images cross the gutter, and show arising conflict, confusion, and disaster in the story. The first time this happens, pasta is flowing out of Strega Nona's house and is creeping towards the town. The pasta is split across the gutter to show that it is really a large amount of pasta. Big Anthony has sung the magic song and is confused as to why the pasta will not stop cooking. In the next scene, the town is emphasized as being the largest area and is in fact split across the gutter. There is pasta extending down from the top right corner of the page. Now there is a real conflict because the pasta is coming into the town and no one knows how to make it stop. The big disaster lies in the next scene where the pasta has gotten all the way into town and is starting to take over. The people are scared of it and are running away. The pasta has filled the whole left page and is crossing the gutter onto the next page. But down in the bottom right corner of the next page, Strega Nona appears. In the next scene, she stops the pasta and makes Big Anthony eat it all for disobeying her. Big Anthony still has one more corner of pasta to go. He has already eaten the whole left page because there are only small strands and remnants of the pasta left in the corner. Paola does a great job manipulating the pictures to show different amounts of action. In each different framing technique, there is a different approach. He uses the pages divided into fourths to show more continuous action. He uses pictures in halves to show one single action. And he also uses the large illustrations two at a time, to show more destructive actions.

Rating:
Summary: a weird spaghetti book
Review: This book was OK because it had a good plot and I think it should be more than 10 pages long. I think it is still a pretty good book for 4-8 year olds. Tommy De Paeola (I don't know if I'm spelling it right) is a good author

Rating:
Summary: Strega Nona and the magic cooking pot.
Review: This children's book is based on an Italian folktale about a friendly Grandma Witch ("Strega Nona") who has a magic pot that makes pasta. A young man named Big Anthony gets into trouble when he tries to use it. This small volume serves as a prequel to a whole series of books about Strega Nona and children who enjoy Italian folktales will want to have this volume. This book was a 1976 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustrations in a children's book.

Rating:
Summary: Strega Nona and the magic cooking pot.
Review: This children's book is based on an Italian folktale about a friendly Grandma Witch ("Strega Nona") who has a magic pot that makes pasta. A young man named Big Anthony gets into trouble when he tries to use it. This small volume serves as a prequel to a whole series of books about Strega Nona and children who enjoy Italian folktales will want to have this volume. This book was a 1976 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustrations in a children's book.

Rating:
Summary: A great old re-told tale!
Review: This classic story by dePaola is wonderful. The way he illustrates books is my favorite part and his writing and humorous stories makes his re-tellings better than any other authors or illustrators. I am sure if you read this book you would feel like you were in the story. The funniest part is when Big Anthony uses Strega Nona's pasta pot it floods the whole town with pasta. I am not going to tell you anymore...I won't give anything else away.

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2* Pasta d'Amore
Review: This is a lovely and warm book about Grandma Concetta, an Italian "strega" (someone with "lotions and potions" and "good advice"), and her devoted granddaughter, Nona. Nona and her friend Amelia go to a modern school for magic, but Nona misses her grandmother and the village and leaves the "Accademia." (Italian words are sprinkled throughout for atmosphere and authenticity.) She envies Amelia's diploma from the Academy for Stregas. But Grandma Concetta consoles her: "you don't need a diploma to be a true strega. You already have everything you need... And when I pass my practice over to you, I will tell you the ingrediente segreto-the secret ingredient. Then you will not only be a true strega, but a great one." Concetta eventually reveals that the secret ingredient to all the potions made in her pasta pot is love.

This is a quiet magic story, with no great adventures or battles. There's a bit of humor(Amelia curls Nona's hair until it becomes a beehive of a perm; Nona uses olive oil -instead of magic-to get a goat off the roof), but it's not really a funny book. Mostly it is a calm, sweet tale of tradition and of people helping each other. The illustrations are beautiful: The long flowing lines, religious icons, rich colors, and patterned borders recall a tapestry, but lighter and simpler, like the book itself.


Rating:
Summary: A classic picture book
Review: This modern fable - where Big Anthony gets his just desserts - is perfect in every way. The way the clever story and the Italian-styled art compliment each other make this one of De Paola's best. You'll want to keep this one on your bookshelf and look for any excuse to take it out and read it to someone.

Rating:
Summary: The Italian Sorcerer's Apprentice
Review: Tomie's excellent re-telling of the claasic italian child's tale is essentially The Sorcerer's Apprentice with less-than-dire consequences - introducing Big Anthony as the apprentice, Strega Nona cautions him against using her magical pasta pot. My 2 year-old daughter really loves this tale, and I am really pleased to re-read it to her. A natural, must-have for Italian-American children - who frequently lack cultural ties to Italy. The artwork is top notch and Tomie's writing is appropriate for any child older than 2.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, fun children's classic.
Review: With illustrations reminiscent of the "Fractured Fairy Tales" and a simple magical plot, your kids will ask for this one again and again. A Caldecott Honor Book. And no wonder! The pictures, in muted colors, fill the pages and tell the story beautifully. Fun to read out loud. And a must for your child's library.