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Tomie dePaola (1934–2020)

Author of Strega Nona

249+ Works 78,293 Members 1,809 Reviews 45 Favorited

About the Author

Tomie dePaola was born in Meriden, Connecticut on September 15, 1934. He received a B.F.A. from Pratt Institute in 1956, a M.F.A. from California College of Arts and Crafts in 1969, and a doctoral equivalency from Lone Mountain College in 1970. He has written and/or illustrated more than 270 books show more including 26 Fairmount Avenue, Strega Nona, Meet the Barkers, Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs, and Oliver Button Is a Sissy. He has received numerous awards for his work including the Caldecott Honor Award, the Newbery Honor Award and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure. His murals and paintings can be seen in many churches and monasteries throughout New England. He has designed greeting cards, magazine and record album covers, and theater sets. His work is shown in galleries and museums. Tomie dePaola died on March 30, 2020 because of complications he had from surgery after a fall. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Series

Works by Tomie dePaola

Strega Nona (1975) 6,279 copies
The Legend of the Bluebonnet (1983) 3,415 copies
The Art Lesson (1989) 2,588 copies
The Cloud Book (1975) 2,168 copies
Pancakes for Breakfast (1978) 2,151 copies
26 Fairmount Avenue (1999) 1,991 copies
The Popcorn Book (1978) 1,875 copies
Charlie Needs a Cloak (1973) 1,751 copies
The Legend of the Poinsettia (1994) 1,718 copies
The Clown of God (1978) 1,558 copies
The Knight and the Dragon (1980) 1,382 copies
Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose (1985) 1,261 copies
Merry Christmas, Strega Nona (1986) 1,237 copies
Now One Foot, Now the Other (1981) 1,155 copies
Strega Nona's Magic Lessons (1982) 1,072 copies
Strega Nona’s Harvest (2009) 964 copies
Strega Nona Meets Her Match (1993) 958 copies
Oliver Button Is a Sissy (1979) 936 copies
Strega Nona: Her Story (1996) 808 copies
The Legend of Old Befana (1980) 786 copies
The Baby Sister (1996) 752 copies
Tom (1993) 733 copies
Adelita (2002) 701 copies
Country Angel Christmas (1995) 650 copies
Big Anthony: His Story (1998) 643 copies
Bill and Pete (1978) 624 copies
Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka (2000) 597 copies
Strega Nona Takes a Vacation (2000) 578 copies
The Night of Las Posadas (1999) 577 copies
The Quicksand Book (1977) 559 copies
Jingle the Christmas Clown (1992) 543 copies
Tony's Bread (1989) 536 copies
My First Thanksgiving (1992) 516 copies
The Bubble Factory (1996) 493 copies
Andy That's My Name (1973) 474 copies
My First Chanukah (1989) 472 copies
Bonjour, Mr. Satie (1991) 440 copies
The Miracles of Jesus (1987) 434 copies
Tomie's Little Mother Goose (1997) 406 copies
An Early American Christmas (1987) 403 copies
The Parables of Jesus (1987) 390 copies
Days of the Blackbird (1997) 351 copies
Kit and Kat (1994) 290 copies
Bill and Pete to the Rescue (1998) 273 copies
My First Easter (1991) 267 copies
The Lady of Guadalupe (1980) 261 copies
My First Halloween (1991) 257 copies
Strega Nona's Gift (2011) 246 copies
My First Passover (1990) 244 copies
Boss For a Day (2001) 235 copies
Too Many Bunnies (Trade) (1989) 226 copies
The Birds of Bethlehem (2012) 219 copies
My First Christmas (1989) — Author — 213 copies
The Kids' Cat Book (1979) 212 copies
Michael Bird-Boy (1975) 195 copies
Mary: The Mother of Jesus (1995) 193 copies
Christmas Remembered (2006) 174 copies
The Comic Adventures of Old Mother Hubbard and Her Dog (1981) — Illustrator — 160 copies
Christopher: The Holy Giant (1994) 158 copies
Stagestruck (2005) 148 copies
Tomie's Little Book of Poems (2004) 148 copies
Queen Esther (1750) 146 copies
Quiet (2018) 144 copies
I'm Still Scared (2006) 142 copies
T-Rex Is Missing! (2002) 140 copies
A New Barker in the House (2002) 128 copies
Look and Be Grateful (2015) 117 copies
The Song of Francis (2009) 109 copies
The Christmas Pageant (1978) 104 copies
Tomie's Baa Baa Black Sheep (2004) 101 copies
Santa's Crash-Bang Christmas (1977) — Illustrator — 94 copies
Marianna May and Nursey (1983) 94 copies
Tomie dePaola's Rhyme Time (2000) 91 copies
Four Friends in Autumn (2004) 89 copies
My Mother Is So Smart (2010) 85 copies
Strega Nona Does It Again (2013) 85 copies
My First Songs (2010) 83 copies
The Cat on the Dovrefell: A Christmas Tale (2021) — Illustrator — 82 copies
Angels, Angels Everywhere (2005) 77 copies
The Wind and the Sun (1972) 75 copies
Four Friends at Christmas (2002) 72 copies
Jack (2014) 71 copies
Songs of the Fog Maiden (1979) 68 copies
David and Goliath (1792) 58 copies
Get Dressed, Santa! (1996) 58 copies
Noah and the Ark (1983) 58 copies
The Unicorn and the Moon (1973) 56 copies
Four Friends in Summer (2003) 55 copies
In a Small Kingdom (2018) 53 copies
My First Mother Goose (2009) 53 copies
Strega Nona and the Twins (2017) 42 copies
My First Christmas Carols (2010) 25 copies
Flicks (1979) 24 copies
My First Fairy Tales (2009) 24 copies
Tomie's Little Book of Love (2007) 23 copies
Grab That Dog! (1989) 21 copies
My First Bible Stories (2010) 19 copies
My First Angels (2011) 17 copies
Fight the Night (1968) 16 copies
Saint Patrick (2019) 13 copies
Hurry, Santa! (2020) 8 copies
The Magic Pasta Pot (1979) 8 copies
Song of Francis (2009) 7 copies
The Journey of the Kiss (1970) 5 copies
Joe and the Snow (1968) 5 copies
Mother Goose Frieze (1984) 4 copies
Tomie De Paola 3 copies
Katie, Kit & cousin Tom (1987) 2 copies
Parker Pig, Esquire (1969) 2 copies
Rhyme Time 1 copy
Snakes 1 copy
Vive la Saint-Valentin (1983) 1 copy
Book 4 1 copy
Book 5 1 copy
I miracoli di Gesù (2003) 1 copy
Harvest 1 copy
Spagettigrytan (1979) 1 copy

Associated Works

Cookie's Week (1988) — Illustrator — 3,428 copies
Shh! We're Writing the Constitution (1987) — Illustrator, some editions — 2,731 copies
The Quilt Story (1985) — Illustrator — 2,205 copies
Can't You Make Them Behave, King George? (1977) — Illustrator, some editions — 1,543 copies
George Washington's Breakfast (1969) — Cover artist, some editions — 1,478 copies
Mice Squeak, We Speak: A Poem (1984) — Illustrator — 1,094 copies
Miracle on 34th Street (1947) — Illustrator, some editions; Illustrator, some editions — 961 copies
The Vanishing Pumpkin (1983) — Illustrator — 730 copies
Little Poems for Tiny Ears (2014) — Illustrator — 542 copies
Simple Pictures Are Best (1977) — Illustrator — 508 copies
Teeny Tiny (1985) — Illustrator — 455 copies
I Love You, Mouse (1976) — Illustrator — 453 copies
The Surprise Party (1977) — Illustrator — 387 copies
I Love You, Sun, I Love You, Moon (1994) — Illustrator — 348 copies
School's In! (1997) — Contributor — 346 copies
Erandi's Braids (1999) — Illustrator — 328 copies
The Holy Twins: Benedict and Scholastica (2001) — Illustrator — 279 copies
The Spooky Halloween Party (1772) — Illustrator — 260 copies
Four Scary Stories (1774) — Illustrator — 242 copies
The Night Before Christmas (Tomie dePaola) (1980) — Illustrator — 229 copies
The Walking Coat (1980) — Illustrator — 226 copies
Alice Nizzy Nazzy: The Witch of Santa Fe (1995) — Illustrator — 214 copies
Hark! A Christmas Sampler (1778) — Illustrator — 178 copies
Petook: An Easter Story (1988) — Illustrator — 163 copies
The Badger and the Magic Fan (1990) — Illustrator — 136 copies
The Big Book For Our Planet (1993) — Contributor — 134 copies
The Tyrannosaurus Game (1975) — Illustrator — 129 copies
Benny's Big Bubble (1997) — Illustrator — 121 copies
The Wuggie Norple Story (1980) — Illustrator — 94 copies
Who's a Friend of the Water Spurting Whale (1987) — Illustrator — 92 copies
Knock, Knock (2007) — Illustrator — 80 copies
Good Morning To You, Valentine: Poems For Valentine's Day (1976) — Illustrator — 69 copies
The Giants' Farm (1977) — Illustrator — 66 copies
Christina's Carol (2021) — Illustrator — 64 copies
Mary Had a Little Lamb (1984) — Illustrator, some editions — 62 copies
Nicholas Bentley Stoningpot III (1982) — Illustrator — 62 copies
Tikvah: Children's Book Creators Reflect on Human Rights (2001) — Contributor — 61 copies
Pages of Music (1988) — Illustrator — 56 copies
Hot as an Ice Cube (1971) — Illustrator — 50 copies
Let's Find Out About Houses (1962) — Illustrator — 49 copies
Celebrate Cricket: 30 Years of Stories and Art (2003) — Contributor — 43 copies
Wings (2019) — Illustrator, some editions — 40 copies
Steppin' Out: Jaunty Rhymes for Playful Times (2017) — Illustrator — 26 copies
The Green Gourd: A North Carolina Folktale (1992) — Foreword — 25 copies
Easter Buds Are Springing: Poems for Easter (1979) — Illustrator — 25 copies
The Barker Twins: Triple Check-Up (2004) — Illustrator — 21 copies
Ghost Poems (1979) — Illustrator — 21 copies
Once upon Dinkelsbuhl (1977) — Illustrator — 21 copies
Look in the Mirror (1972) — Illustrator — 19 copies
The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales (1946) — Illustrator — 19 copies
Read for Joy! (1996) — Illustrator — 16 copies
Sound Science (1968) — Illustrator — 14 copies
Marc the Magnificent (1978) — Illustrator — 12 copies
Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast (1977) — Illustrator — 12 copies
This is the Ambulance Leaving the Zoo (1975) — Illustrator — 11 copies
Pick It Up (1971) — Illustrator, some editions — 9 copies
The Rocking-Chair Ghost (1969) — Illustrator, some editions; Illustrator, some editions; Illustrator, some editions — 9 copies
Tricky Peik and Other Picture Tales (1967) — Illustrator, some editions — 8 copies
Sound (1965) — Illustrator — 6 copies
Finders keepers, losers weepers (1967) — Illustrator — 5 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 3, November 1976 (1976) — Illustrator — 5 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 2, October 1975 (1974) — Contributor — 4 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 5, January 1977 (1977) — Contributor — 3 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 12, August 1977 (1970) — Illustrator — 2 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 6, No. 1, September 1978 (1978) — Illustrator — 2 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 5, No. 4, December 1977 (1977) — Illustrator — 2 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 6, February 1977 — Cover artist; Illustrator — 2 copies
Hold Everything (1973) — Illustrator — 1 copy

Tagged

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Common Knowledge

Canonical name
dePaola, Tomie
Legal name
dePaolo, Thomas Anthony
Other names
DE PAOLO, Thomas Anthony (birth name)
DE PAOLA, Tomie
Birthdate
1934-09-15
Date of death
2020-03-30
Gender
male
Nationality
USA
Birthplace
Meriden, Connecticut, USA
Place of death
Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
Cause of death
in a fall in his barn studio the previous week and died of complications following surgery
Places of residence
California, USA
New London, New Hampshire, USA
Education
Pratt Institute (BFA)
California College of Arts and Crafts (MFA)
Lone Mountain College
Occupations
writer
illustrator
artist
Organizations
Newton College of the Sacred Heart (taught 1962-66)
Awards and honors
Caldecott Honor Award from American Library Association
Newbery Honor Award from American Library Association
USA nominee in illustration for Hans Christian Andersen Medal
University of Southern Mississippi Medallion
Kerlan Award from the University of Minnesota
Smithson Medal from Smithsonian Institution (show all 11)
Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal (2011)
New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure
Regina Medal from Catholic Library Association (1983)
Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award (2012)
Children's Literature Legacy Award (2011)
Agent
Whiteman, Doug
Short biography
[from Michael Bird-Boy, 40th anniversary edition]
TOMIE dePAOLA is one of the most popular children's book authors and illustrators of our time and the winner of the 2011 Children's Literature Legacy Award for "significant and lasting contribution to children's literature", among other lifetime achievement awards. A Newbery Honor winner, he has written and illustrated a number of books, including Caldecott Honor book Strega Nona and its companions, as well as Oliver Button Is a Sissy; The Legend of Old Befana; The Clown of God; Michael Bird-Boy; Andy, That's My Name; and Quiet. A native of Connecticut, Mr. dePaola studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and now lives in New London, New Hampshire.

Members

Reviews

This author is known for writing and illustrating folklore. In this book, he focuses on the story of a little boy who lived on the plains. His trible lived in a circle of teepees. Most of the other boys were pursuing active feats of riding horses, running, shooting their bow and arrows, and wrestling with each other.

Because this young boy was much smaller, he felt different and not part of the group. His name was Little gopher and he was very artistic. The wise man (shaman) of the tribe told him his gift was very special and his place is different from the others, and he will be thought of for his artistic talents.

Going to the hills alone to discern his path and how he fits in with the tribe, he had a dream vision. He watched the clouds and saw a young Indian maiden and old grandfather. She helped him with his talent of painting the animal skins. The grandfather gave him tools and the young maiden instructed him to find a white buckskin to paint the colors of the sky.

His dream came true when he was given special paintbrushes and pots of paints. He found a white buckskin. Thereafter he beautifully painted the stories of the people. When he was finished with the paintbrushes, he placed them in the ground. They became lush flowers that covered the ground. The people called him He Who Brought the Sunset to the Earth.
… (more)
 
Flagged
Whisper1 | 82 other reviews | Mar 17, 2024 |
This is a French legend originally told by the master storyteller Anatole France. This is a story of a mother and fatherless child whose name was Giovanni. Roaming throughout the countryside, he learned to juggle. Sharing his talent brough him a lot of joy.
He helped a local man, Signor Baptista, sell his fruit and vegetables by juggling the oranges, apples, and lemons, and the eggplants and zucchini vegtables. In return, he was given a large bowl of soup at the end of the day.

As he grew older, Giovanni traveled more territory and used more items to juggle, including brightly colored balls. The brightest was a beautiful golden ball. As he grew older, he made mistakes. One day he dropped the rainbow of colored balls. He no longer was important and thus people threw vegtables, fruits and vegtetales . Running for his life, the old man walked back to Sorrento, the area where he began.

Cold and weary, he found a monestery church. He crept inside the church and found an area where he could sleep. Beautiful music awoke him and Giovannie found the church overwhelming in beauty.

Seeing a beautiful statue of the Lady and the Child. The child seemed so stern and sad. Giovannie wondered what gift he could give the mother and child, and then put his white makeup on his face, opened the bag containing his old items used to juggle,including sticks, plates, clubs and rings and multicolored balls that looked like a rainbow. Suddenly, at the end of his performance, he died.

The next day, the priest discovered the statue of the mother and child with the child smiling as he held the golden ball in his lap
… (more)
 
Flagged
Whisper1 | 19 other reviews | Mar 15, 2024 |
I have definitely read far better Tomie books.

But I also am mindful that there are many little girls and boys who would like nothing better than a pet dinosaur do I will see how this appeals.
½
 
Flagged
FamiliesUnitedLL | 10 other reviews | Feb 13, 2024 |
This is the wordless book that I found in class. It follows a lady that is trying to make pancakes in the morning, but problems keep happening. I think that I would use this with preschoolers or kindergarteners, and it would help to teach them problem solving.
 
Flagged
ChrisHoltGFU | 119 other reviews | Feb 7, 2024 |

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Statistics

Works
249
Also by
77
Members
78,293
Popularity
#158
Rating
4.0
Reviews
1,809
ISBNs
1,473
Languages
14
Favorited
45

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