Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola is an original tale about an old lady who summons potions from her magical pasta pot to cure and comfort the ails of her towns people. The secrets of her magical pasta pot are almost exposed When Strega Nona or “Grandma Witch”, seeks help with her daily chores from an ambitious local boy named Big Anthony.

I loved the simple yet quirky illustrations of the Calabria town and its people. Originally published in 1975, there is no doubt that this tale is a timeless classic fit for any children's story-time.

Awards: Caldacott Honor Book, ALA Notable Children's Book, Kirkus Choice, Horn Book Honor List, Nakamori Prize, Brooklyn Museum & Public Library Art Books for Children Citations (N.Y) ( )

I love Tomie dePaola. This book about a wise old woman with a bottomless pasta pot is very entertaining. dePaola also has a great website for children that could accompany the reading of this book in the classroom. This book is a great example of a punishment that fits the crime!

Age Appropriateness: primary, intermediate
Media: colored pencil, acrylic ( )

This classic story, set in Italy, tells the story of Strega Nona and Big Anthony. Strega Nona has a magic pasta pot that cooks up fresh pasta whenever she sings it a song. Big Anthony wants fresh pasta, too, but Strega Nona tells him never to touch the pot. Well, that pot is just too tempting for Big Anthony. What mess will he get into when he disobeys?

Strega Nona lived in a small town called Calabria. She was a good witch. People went to see her for all sorts of things (warts, love potions, and headaches). Strega Nona was getting old and needed help around the house so she hired a man by the name of Big Anthony. She gave him his chores but told him to never touch the pasta pot. He agreed until one day he saw Strega Nona work magic in the pot. She made pasta appear. Big Anthony was shocked and he knew what he was going to do. He ran into town and told all of the people about it. They laughed but Big Anthony was going to show them. He waited for his chance to prove them wrong. His chance came sooner than he expected. Strega Nona had to leave town for a few days. When she was gone, Big Anthony worked magic with the pot and invited people in the town to eat pasta. However, he did not know how to make the pot stop making pasta. The pasta was taking over the town. It kept growing bigger and bigger. The towns people were panicking. Strega Nona happened by and worked her magic to get the pot to stop. The towns people were ready to string up Big Anthony. Strega Nona made them stop. She said that the punishment had to fit the crime. Big Anthony had to eat all of the pasta until it was gone.