Rating: 
Summary: De Paola's Best
Review: Strega Nona (Grandma Witch) is about the beloved character with the same name. She lives in a small town in Italy, where she cures sickness and warts. When she hires Big Anthony to help her, trouble starts. When Anthony sees her through the window making pasta by chanting a few words, he tries while she is on a trip to see a friend. Kids will enjoy the humorous ending and classic illustrations. (...)
Rating: 
Summary: The Italian Sorcerer's Apprentice
Review: I remember this book from my childhood. It was an alltime favorite. I used to have the tape of it. Grandma Witch, Strega Nona was a magic woman and a miracle worker. She hired a man named Big Anthony to help her. Big Anthony never paid attention. Strega Nona specifically told him not to touch her magic pasta pot, (which Big Anthony knew how to turn on, but not off) So while Strega Nona had to go away, Big Anthony invited the town over for pasta and flooded the town with Pasta. As punishment, Strega Nona made him eat all the pasta that was covering the town, and Big Anthony ended up with an Upset Stomach, and a Pink Slip.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful a must for every parent and child
Review: I remember this book from my childhood. It was an alltime favorite. I used to have the tape of it. Grandma Witch, Strega Nona was a magic woman and a miracle worker. She hired a man named Big Anthony to help her. Big Anthony never paid attention. Strega Nona specifically told him not to touch her magic pasta pot, (which Big Anthony knew how to turn on, but not off) So while Strega Nona had to go away, Big Anthony invited the town over for pasta and flooded the town with Pasta. As punishment, Strega Nona made him eat all the pasta that was covering the town, and Big Anthony ended up with an Upset Stomach, and a Pink Slip.
Rating:
Summary: Bewitched by the best
Review: It's like "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" but without that annoying mouse. For many youngsters like myself, "Strega Nona", marks my earliest introduction to the delightful Tomie de Paola. To me, this story is pitch perfect. It has everything a classic folktale should have and it tells its story with a coy courteous eloquence. Few picture books are half as classy as "Strega Nona". It is perhaps the world's best.Strega Nona lives by her lonesome in a small cottage in Calabria, Italy. A witch by trade, she cures the townspeople of their ailments, warts, and headaches. When Big Anthony is hired on as Strega Nona's servant she gives him very strict instructions on what he is required to do, and what he is forbidden to do. Quoth Strega Nona, "The one thing you must never do is touch the pasta pot". You can probably guess where this is headed. After seeing the witch conjure delicious cooked pasta fully formed from the pot, Anthony is eager to prove this miracle to the people of the town. When Strega Nona leaves on a trip, Anthony speaks her spell and feeds everyone in the vicinity delicious piping hot pasta. Unfortunately, Anthony didn't quite catch the way to make the pasta stop flowing. As the villagers attempt to prevent the growing pasta from destroying their town, Strega Nona arrives just in time to put everything right again. Anthony receives a just comeuppance and all is well in the world. I can't pinpoint what exactly it is about this book that touches me so deeply. Maybe it's the imagery in the illustrations. Strega Nona has a prominent recognizable nose and a babuska's kerchief on her head. She is constantly surrounded by large rabbits and peacocks, setting the tone of the life she leads. Tomie de Paola's illustrations always contain an element of spirituality in them, and in this case it comes in the form of the priest and nuns living in the town. I also am greatly attached to the book's choice of words. There's not a syllable out of place in this tale. Not a wasted consonant or a superfluous adjective. It is a perfectly told tale with illustrations that verge on the sublime. All in all, a great book for kids and adults alike.
Rating:
Summary: Bewitched by the best
Review: It's like "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" but without that annoying mouse. For many youngsters like myself, "Strega Nona", marks my earliest introduction to the delightful Tomie de Paola. To me, this story is pitch perfect. It has everything a classic folktale should have and it tells its story with a coy courteous eloquence. Few picture books are half as classy as "Strega Nona". It is perhaps the world's best. Strega Nona lives by her lonesome in a small cottage in Calabria, Italy. A witch by trade, she cures the townspeople of their ailments, warts, and headaches. When Big Anthony is hired on as Strega Nona's servant she gives him very strict instructions on what he is required to do, and what he is forbidden to do. Quoth Strega Nona, "The one thing you must never do is touch the pasta pot". You can probably guess where this is headed. After seeing the witch conjure delicious cooked pasta fully formed from the pot, Anthony is eager to prove this miracle to the people of the town. When Strega Nona leaves on a trip, Anthony speaks her spell and feeds everyone in the vicinity delicious piping hot pasta. Unfortunately, Anthony didn't quite catch the way to make the pasta stop flowing. As the villagers attempt to prevent the growing pasta from destroying their town, Strega Nona arrives just in time to put everything right again. Anthony receives a just comeuppance and all is well in the world. I can't pinpoint what exactly it is about this book that touches me so deeply. Maybe it's the imagery in the illustrations. Strega Nona has a prominent recognizable nose and a babuska's kerchief on her head. She is constantly surrounded by large rabbits and peacocks, setting the tone of the life she leads. Tomie de Paola's illustrations always contain an element of spirituality in them, and in this case it comes in the form of the priest and nuns living in the town. I also am greatly attached to the book's choice of words. There's not a syllable out of place in this tale. Not a wasted consonant or a superfluous adjective. It is a perfectly told tale with illustrations that verge on the sublime. All in all, a great book for kids and adults alike.
Rating:
Summary: Grandma Witch
Review: Most all kids love pasta and will also love Strega Nona. This Grandma Witch in Italy teaches Big Anthony (her big lug of an assistant) a few lessons in cooking pasta and about life. A beautifully told and illustrated story by Tommie Depaola. Kids and adults of all ages and ethnicities will love this Italian folk tale.
Rating:
Summary: Grandma Witch's Magic Pasta Pot Produces Plenty!
Review: Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute. To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. Strega Nona was one of her picks. This is an engaging tale of an elderly woman everyone called Grandma Witch, or Strega Nona. She helped everyone with their troubles, even the priest and the sisters in the convent. She could cure headaches, help girls get husbands, and get rid of warts. Because she was old, she hired Big Anthony to help her with the indoor and outdoor chores. Big Anthony was told not to touch the pasta pot, and he agreed. But one day he saw that she could turn it into a magic pasta pot by singing to it. Unfortunately, Big Anthony did not see all of the magic spell she used. One day when Strega Nona went to visit her friend Strega Amelia, Big Anthony saw his chance! Using the magic pasta pot by invoking the magic words, soon Big Anthony has enough pasta for everyone in town. People are very impressed and eat with him. Then he says the magic words to make it stop, and it continues (because he hadn't seen Strega Nona blow three kisses as part of the spell). Soon the pasta is coming out the door and threatens the town! Fortunately, Strega Nona returns and saves the day. But she wants to sleep in her bed that night. So she tells Big Anthony to start eating pasta to make room for her! The illustrations are very colorful and beautiful to behold. They are in a simple style that is appealing to young children. I would have enjoyed the book personally, just for the illustrations. The story is told in a friendly, humorous way rather than a frightening way. You can compare this story to Walt Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice and this one is definitely lighter and more appealing for young children. My daughter loved to read this story to me, as well as having me read it to her. She loved to laugh at the sight of all that pasta! The story has won a Caldecott award, which is well deserved. Overcome your stalled thinking that children don't enjoy stories about witches! In fact, love of this book may be behind the interest in Harry Potter!
Rating:
Summary: Grandma Witch's Magic Pasta Pot Produces Plenty!
Review: Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute.
To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. Strega Nona was one of her picks. This is an engaging tale of an elderly woman everyone called Grandma Witch, or Strega Nona. She helped everyone with their troubles, even the priest and the sisters in the convent. She could cure headaches, help girls get husbands, and get rid of warts. Because she was old, she hired Big Anthony to help her with the indoor and outdoor chores. Big Anthony was told not to touch the pasta pot, and he agreed. But one day he saw that she could turn it into a magic pasta pot by singing to it. Unfortunately, Big Anthony did not see all of the magic spell she used. One day when Strega Nona went to visit her friend Strega Amelia, Big Anthony saw his chance! Using the magic pasta pot by invoking the magic words, soon Big Anthony has enough pasta for everyone in town. People are very impressed and eat with him. Then he says the magic words to make it stop, and it continues (because he hadn't seen Strega Nona blow three kisses as part of the spell). Soon the pasta is coming out the door and threatens the town! Fortunately, Strega Nona returns and saves the day. But she wants to sleep in her bed that night. So she tells Big Anthony to start eating pasta to make room for her! The illustrations are very colorful and beautiful to behold. They are in a simple style that is appealing to young children. I would have enjoyed the book personally, just for the illustrations. The story is told in a friendly, humorous way rather than a frightening way. You can compare this story to Walt Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice and this one is definitely lighter and more appealing for young children. My daughter loved to read this story to me, as well as having me read it to her. She loved to laugh at the sight of all that pasta! The story has won a Caldecott award, which is well deserved. Overcome your stalled thinking that children don't enjoy stories about witches! In fact, love of this book may be behind the interest in Harry Potter!
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: 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.
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