September 24, 2025 By Maria
I tried so hard to get this post out last week, but the unexpected arrival of a puppy took up most of my time.
Last Monday September 15th, was the birthday anniversary of American children’s book author, Tomie dePaola. I am sure I am not the only one who finds that day a little sad due to dePaola’s passing in 2020. Still, this is a good time to think about dePaola and his beloved books.
I first wrote about dePaola back in March. In that post, I focused on his Irish stories. Here I would like to share one of Tomie dePaola’s Italian stories and one of his most well known and beloved characters, Strega Nona. Strega Nona (Grandma Witch), is a little old woman living on a hill outside of Calabria, Italy. She provides cures for the villagers’ ailments and employs a young man, Big Anthony, to help with chores around her little house. Our family always enjoys a Strega Nona story. I think the kids favorite part of her stories is Big Anthony’s antics.
Strega Nona delighted readers for the first time in 1975, and she even has her own postage stamp. I have been enjoying Strega Nona stories since I was very small, and I was excited to find a few new ones over the years while reading to my kids. Since fall has arrived, I decided to share dePaola’s Strega Nona’s Harvest. This story, like all of Tomie dePaola’s books, is a delight to read. I didn’t discover this book until a few years ago and it now has a home on our shelf.
In Strega Nona’s Harvest, Big Anthony grows a chaotic overgrown garden, due to mishap on his part. Instead of telling Strega Nona, Big Anthony sneaks out at night to harvest his secret garden and leaves piles of veggies at Strega Nona’s door. My kids love this part, especially my younger son. The strega must find a creative solution to the recurring pile of vegetables she finds at her doorstep each morning. The harvest feast she hosts for the villagers is a beautiful ending to this silly and fun story. The last page always brings a smile to my daughter’s face. Little does Strega Nona know, the mysterious vegetables are still plentiful.
Even though Tomie DePaola is gone, his stories are still plentiful. For this I am very grateful; I still have more Tomie dePaola stories to read and old favorites can always be read again. Like Strega Nona, I’d like to be cozy in my home, wrap up in a sweater and cook a harvest soup, preferably butternut squash or pot of pasta. (I love butternut squash soup. It isn’t my family’s favorite, but they know an obligatory pot will be coming at least once every fall. I actually picked up a butternut squash yesterday when I was grocery shopping. It will be coming up for dinner very soon).
Last year there was a whole Tik Tok “Strega Nona Fall” aesthetic. It was such a big trend that the New York Times even wrote an article about it. Strega Nona definitely does have something to teach us about cozy comfort and being part of our communities. Please join me in having a hot drink or a steaming plate of pasta and reading a Strega Nona story this autumn.
More Bookshelves Please 