Strega Nona's Magic Lessons (1982)

Summary: Strega Nona only teaches magic to those who are worthy and ready for it. Big Anthony doesn't appreciate this and disguises himself as someone else so that he can learn the magic too! Little does he know what trouble he'll cause...
Genre: Picture book
Response: This series is one of my favorites from childhood. Its got enough writing on each page to be informational and engaging but not so much to where it becomes a drag to read. There are also very important lessons in the stories that I think are invaluable to a child's rearing (like in this one, it's to be patient and wait until the time is right before trying to do something).
Theme: Humor; Patience; Scheming; Silly; Friendship; Mentor-ship
Classroom Use: I would just use this book as a general read aloud. ( )

Summary- Bambolona is the daughter of a baker. She works for her family day in a day out, some of the longest hours of anyone in the city. Bambolona does not enjoy her life so she goes to Strega Nona for help. Strega Nona teaches Bambolona all about magic, but most importantly, she teaches Bambolona that magic is not to be played around with.

Strengths- Characterization
Strega Nona is an incredible character. She has a stern but loving personality that only comes with age. The author portrays it well.

Use with Kids- This would be a great book to use when learning and experimenting with the qualities of yeast. ( )

Strega Nona agrees to teach Bamboola magic because she is tired of working with breads. Big Anthony over hears and wants to learn magic too. Strega Nona says no to him, but he still wants to so he dresses up as Angelina and gets himself into trouble again while learning magic.

dePaola, T. (1982). Strega nona’s magic lessons. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishers.

Bambolona feels overworked at the bakery. When she complains to her father that she cannot bake bread, cookies, cakes, and clean, he tells her to get up even earlier to finish all the tasks. Frustrated, Bambolona decides to see Strega Nona (Grandma Witch). Strega Nona says that she will teach her magic. Big Anthony, however, overhears their conversation, and he too wants to learn magic. Strega Nona refuses to teach him, so Big Anthony disguises himself as Antonia.

DePaola uses theme of magical powers. As in many traditional folktales, magic plays a key role in stories. In this case, it is a naive character, Big Anthony, who uses magic unwisely, accidently “turning” Strega Nona into a toad.

Strega Nona’s Magic Lessons is a delightful story with comical illustrations.

This is the story of a baker's daughter who decides to quit her job and go live with a woman of magic, Strega Nona. A boy neighbor becomes frustrated that Strega Nona will not teach him magic as well and begins to complain. Finally, he realizes that only girls can learn magic. So, he dresses up as a girl and seeks out Strega Nona to teach him magic. Thinking that he is a girl, Strega Nona agrees to teach the neighbor magic. He does not do very well and after being tricked by Strega Nona, he realizes that he should not try to learn magic, but to do work like he had done before.