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Tomie dePaola
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| Tomie dePaola |
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Tomie dePaola, whose given name is Thomas Anthony de Paola, was born in Meriden, Connecticut in 1934 of an Irish and Italian background. From an early age his ambition was to create picture books. His mother, a book lover, read to Tomie and his brother and encouraged their love of books. Tomie credits the Saturday morning radio show, "Let's Pretend," in helping to develop his imagination. At the ripe "old age" of ten, he wrote books for his younger sisters' birthdays. One of these books was Glimmera, the Story of a Mermaid.
Tomie dePaola has a B.F.A. from Pratt Institute and an M.F.A. from California College of Arts and Crafts. He often draws upon his own childhood experiences in writing books. For example, his own Italian grandmother was the model for the grandmother in Watch Out for the Chicken Feet in Your Soup. His book Strega Nona was selected as a Caldecott Honor Book and he was the United States nominee for the Hans Christian Anderson Award.
His career as a professional artist and designer paralleled his success as an author. A prolific writer, he produces sometimes two to four children's books a year. He combined this career with an academic one, teaching at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire. He enjoyed many "one man shows" in Boston which featured his drawings and set designs. Many of his murals adorn the walls of Catholic churches and monasteries in New England. His book, Clown of God, is a beautiful expression of a poor one's gift to the serene mother and playful child.
Tomie dePaola has published almost 200 children's books in fifteen different countries. He remains one of the most popular creators of books for children, receiving more than 100,000 fan letters each year.
Tomie lives in an interesting house in New Hampshire with his four dogs. His studio is in a large renovated 200-year-old barn.
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When springtime arrives in the little town of Calabria, Strega Nona notices that her helper Big Anthony is less attentive than usual to his chores. 'What you need is a little Night Life, ' she advises him. How her advice and, of course, a little of her magic conspire to raise Big Anthony's spring fever to an alarming degree will delight old fans and create new ones when they are introduced to Tomie dePaola's warm, zany world of human nature and its foibles.
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In the oral tradition, storytellers through the centuries have told and retold tales, changing them often to fit their own lives and mores. Following this tradition, I have lovingly retold this ancient legend, shaping it to my own life and experience.
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The celebration of Befana, who flies across the sky on Twelfth Night, leaving cakes and cookies for children as they sleep, is a beloved story in Europe. It is timeworn only by its many versions, and Tomie dePaola's retelling is unique in its resplendent settings and carefully researched detail. His story also broadens the character of the eccentric old recluse of the small Italian village, who is always sweeping. While Befana is sometimes called a witch, Tomie dePaola gives his readers a chance to make their own decisions, imbuing Old Befana with more humanity than most have offered the lonely old woman in her endless search for the Christ Child.
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The celebration of Befana, who flies across the sky on Twelfth Night, leaving cakes and cookies for children as they sleep, is a beloved story in Europe. It is timeworn only by its many versions, and Tomie dePaola's retelling is unique in its resplendent settings and carefully researched detail. His story also broadens the character of the eccentric old recluse of the small Italian village, who is always sweeping. While Befana is sometimes called a witch, Tomie dePaola gives his readers a chance to make their own decisions, imbuing Old Befana with more humanity than most have offered the lonely old woman in her endless search for the Christ Child.
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In this, Tomie dePaola's fourth book in the Italian folktale tradition, it's Christmas-time in the little town in Calabria. There is no time for Strega Nona's usual business of curing headaches, mixing love potions, and getting rid of warts. Instead, it's time for her annual feast of the whole town, complete with baccala, or Italian codfish stew, roasted peppers, and Christmas cookies.
Christmas has a magic of its own, and no one knows more about magic than Strega Nona, certainly not Big Anthony. But poor Strega Nona: How will she ever have her feast ready by Christmas Eve--with untrustworthy Big Anthony as her only helper?
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This wordless picture book follows a woman from the moment she gets out of bed, hungry for pancakes, until she finally eats them at a neighbor's house. We watch her put on her apron, begin mixing ingredients, gather eggs, milk the cow, churn the butter, go out and buy syrup, walk home with dreams of mixing and cooking and eating the pancakes, and arrive back to find her cat and dog have spilled the milk and broken the eggs. As she thinks of the pancakes she dreamed of, flying away from the platter, she smells her neighbor cooking some and decides to go and visit.
Have your child "read" you this story if he's not a reader yet, or write the story to go with the pictures if he's learning to put his thoughts on paper.
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A knight who has never fought a dragon and an equally inexperienced dragon prepare to meet each other in battle.
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The Mother Goose rhymes are perhaps the most popular collection of poems and songs in the history of children's literature. The magical old woman on her goose is so dear to our hearts, and so much a part of the oral tradition, that her tales will always be with us. Over the centuries, many different versions of Mother Goose have appeared, and it now seems fitting that Tomie dePaola should complete his original and comprehensive edition of over two hundred Mother Goose rhymes as he celebrates his twentieth year in publishing.
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In spring, the hills and meadows of Texas and Wyoming are ablaze with the reds, oranges, and yellows of the Indian Paintbrush. How this striking plant received its name is told in an old Indian legend.
Many years ago, when the People traveled the Plains, a young Indian boy had a Dream-Vision in which it was revealed that one day he would create a painting that was as pure as the colors of the evening sky at sunset. The boy grew up to become the painter of the tribe, but although he found a pure white buckskin for a canvas and made paints from the brightest flowers and the reddest berries, he could not capture the sunset.
How the young Indian artist finally fulfills his Dream-Vision is lovingly told and illustrated by Tomie dePaola, in words and pictures that capture the spirit and beauty of this dramatic legend.
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Tomie dePaola once again combines his talents as masterful illustrator and sensitive, intelligent anthologist to create an exuberant collection of poetry the whole family will enjoy.
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In this stunningly illustrated collection of stories from the Bible, Tomie dePaola lovingly brings to life the people and places of long ago. The most memorable and significant people in the Old and New Testament are presented here--from Adam, Abraham, and Moses to Jesus, Peter and John. Tomie dePaola's illustrations capture people and places and events with wonderful detail and character. Readers will find themselves caught up in the dramatic events of the best-loved stories from the Bible--among them, stories about Noah and the flood, Jonah's encounter with a great fish, and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Here is a beautiful edition of Bible stories for the whole family to share.
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Strega Nona has cures for warts and headaches, even lovesickness. She uses old-fashioned potions and magic. The villagers in Calabria flock to her door.
When Strega Nona's friend Strega Amelia comes over the mountain for a visit, she brings more than just gossip. Soon she's set up her own shop, using the latest modern gadgets, offering sweets and cappuccino--to all of Strega Nona's regulars!
Looks like Strega Nona's met her match. Unless she's got her own cure, for Strega Amelia!
Everyone who's read about Strega Nona before will know she has a helper named Big Anthony and remember the big problems he's caused in the past. But this time, he unwittingly plays a part in proving that the old ways are often the best ways.
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It is no surprise that the world-famous artist/author Tomie dePaola is Strega Nona's choice as her biographer and portraitist, for Tomie has already put into books many of the stories that she has shared with him over the years.
Now Strega Nona has given her permission for her story to be told and illustrated, just as she remembers every detail in a most fascinating life that has influenced and delighted so many children and adults all over the world.
Strega Nona's reaction when shown the book was, "Bravissimo, mio caro Tomie!"
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Strega Nona fans will love this story of Big Anthony, the bumbling but lovable helper to whom she has remained loyal all these years, even after he used her magic pot and almost drowned the town in pasta in his first--but not his last--disaster. How did Big Anthony find Strega Nona in her little house in Calabria?
Life for Big Anthony began on a farm in northern Italy. From the day he was born, he didn't pay attention. And that meant trouble. Nonna Graziella was the first to realize what lay ahead when he got everyone wet at his christening. And by the time he was a teenage, he had messed up so many things on the farm that his father sent him away to find work. Some of the cities he passed through have never been the same: Pisa, Firenze, Roma, and Napoli.
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Kathleen Norris, acclaimed author of The Cloister Walk, offers a moving text to accompany beloved artist Tomie dePaola's strikingly beautiful frescolike paintings in the dramatic and inspiring story of two miraculous, yet very human siblings.
The twins, Benedict and Scholastica, grew up as lively best friends in northern Italy, but their paths diverged when it became time for them to enter adulthood. Benedict's life was filled with dramatic moments and miracles as he grew into an important spiritual leader. Scholastica lived a quieter life, but she remained a strong influence on her brother as he developed the Rule of St. Benedict, which guides the Benedictine order to this day.
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From the creator of the much-loved book Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato, comes another story about the laziest man in all of Ireland, Jamie O'Rourke.
This time Jamie's wife has left him alone for a week. All Jamie has to do is clean the dishes and sweep the house. Of course, Jamie's the messiest man in all of Ireland as well as the laziest, but when a magical Pooka comes to do all the housework, he figures he's also the luckiest. But Jamie's luck runs out when he gives the Pooka a warm overcoat as thanks, thus breaking the house-cleaning spell cast on the Pooka. The Pooka runs off, leaving Jamie--and Eileen--with a very messy house indeed!
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Once again Tomie dePaola takes us back to his childhood and shares with readers the funny and personal moments that make us all wish we had grown up at 26 Fairmont Avenue.
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It has been a long time since Strega Nona had a vacation. Then one night Strega Nona dreams she is at her Grandma Concetta's little house by the seashore. Everybody says, "Strega Nona needs a vacation." Sure Big Anthony and Bambolona can be left alone for just one week -- what could possibly go wrong?
Award-winning artist and author Tomie dePaola brings us a warm and very funny addition to the stories of his most beloved character, Strega Nona.
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In the third book following the Newbery Honor-winning 26 Fairmount Avenue, Tomie takes us back to his childhood once more, enchanting readers with more of his warm and funny stories. Whether he's starring in the dance recital, praying for his brand-new baby sister to get over pneumonia, placing his hands in the wet cement to make his mark in the sidewalk forever, or finally learning to read, Tomie dePaola proves to be as winning a storyteller in the chapter-book format as he has been for so long with his beloved picture books. In this third set of delightful adventures the dePaola family continues to welcome readers of all ages into their home.
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| Meet the Barkers: Morgan and Moffat Go to School |
| Hardcover |
Tomie dePaola
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The Barker twins, Morgan and Moffat, are excited about starting school for the first time. While Moffie knows colors and gets a gold star, Morgie makes a friend. Morgie then helps Moffie make a friend, and earns a gold star for himself by knowing the names of dinosaurs.
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With full-color illustrations by award-winning artist Tomie dePaola, young readers will enjoy some of Mother Goose and her classic rhymes, such as Little Bo Peep, Old King Cole, Jack and Jill, and others.
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When Strega Nona leaves Big Anthony alone with her magic pasta pot, Big Anthony is determined to show the townspeople how it works. This retelling of an old tale was selected as a Caldecott Honor Book. The book is beautifully illustrated by Tomie dePaola.
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Four friends--Missy Cat, Master Dog, Mistress Pig, and Mister Frog--explore the pleasures and the small problems of friendship in four seasonal tales. Award-winning author and illustrator de Paola creates lovable and enduring characters sure to make friends with every reader.
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Thick clusters of vivid blue flowers, which resemble old-fashioned sunbonnets, cover the Texas hills in the springtime every year. These lovely wild flowers, known by the name of bluebonnet, are the state flower of Texas.
This favorite legend based on Comanche Indian lore, tells the story of how the bluebonnet came to be. Tomie dePaola's powerful retelling and his magnificent full-color paintings perfectly capture the Comanche People, the Texas hills, and the spirit of She-Who-Is-Alone, a little girl who made a sacrifice to save her tribe.
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Bill, a crocodile, and his ride-the-back bird friend, Pete, had lessons about their country, Egypt, from their schoolteacher, Ms. Ibis. She led a class trip down the Nile so the crocodiles and birds could view all the things they had learned about, such as the Sphinx.
When the class visited a museum inside a pyramid and saw mummies, sarcophagi, and the famous bad-luck jewel known as the Sacred Eye of Ibis. Pete foiled an attempted robbery of the jewel, and the class is rewarded with a trip home on a boat.
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Tony likes to cook. Tiny likes to read. But both twins like to eat...POPCORN! So while Tiny cooks it, Tony reads about:
- what it is
- how it's stored
- how it's cooked
- how different Indian people made it
- how much popcorn Americans eat
- popcorn stories and legends
- popcorn recipes
Tomie dePaola, who eats a lot of popcorn, shares what he knows about it with humor and imagination.
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This book is a biography of the wealthy young Italian who gave away all his possessions to become a wandering preacher and protector of animals.
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The inhabitants of a New England village never make much fuss about Christmas until a new family moves in and celebrates the holiday in a special way.
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An illustrated retelling of seventeen parables used by Jesus Christ in his teachings. Includes "The Good Samaritan", "The Lost Sheep", The Laborers in the Vineyard", and "The Prodigal Son".
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Little Grunt's pet dinosaur, George, has to leave when he gets too big for the family cave. But the Grunts take him back when he rescues them from an erupting volcano. Tomie dePaola has the cave people saying, ooga ooga' Mama Grunt seems to care only about cooking.
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Spanish Edition
Now, for the first time, Strega Nona reveals her life's story to artist/author Tomie dePaola, in this wonderful prequel to the famous "Strega Nona" books. From the dark and stormy night when she is born to the day she takes the place of the retiring Grandma Concetta as a strega, here is Strega Nona's magical story.
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