Strega Nona

Outline

Strega Nona (1975) is a retelling of an Italian folktale about a kind old woman who helps her village with her special skills and owns a magic pasta pot. When her helper Big Anthony secretly uses the pot without knowing how to stop it, pasta floods the whole town. Tomie dePaola’s picture book teaches children about listening, responsibility, and the consequences of not following instructions.

• Strega Nona retells an Italian folktale about a kind old woman who uses her special skills to help her village.
• Her magic pasta pot is a gift to be handled with care, not a toy for anyone to try.
• Big Anthony uses the pot in secret without knowing how to stop it, and pasta floods the whole town.
• The story shows that ignoring instructions has consequences, and that listening carefully protects you and the people around you.
• Tomie dePaola's picture book gives children a funny way to talk about responsibility.

Tomie dePaola (1934–2020) was an American author and illustrator who created more than two hundred children’s books. Strega Nona received a Caldecott Honor and became the first of many books about the character. His work often drew on his Italian and Irish heritage and on memories of his childhood.