Strega Nona/ by Tomie de Paola

STREGA NONA (meaning "Grandma Witch") written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola is about an old lady who helps her fellow villagers out with their troubles, most notably by curing headaches, helping single women find husbands, and ridding people of warts.  She hired a dimwitted young man named Big Anthony to help her keep he little house and garden.  He was given various chores but "The one thing you must never do," said Strega Nona, "is touch the pasta pot."  She told him it was very expensive but he soon discovered that what it really was, was magic!  When Strega Nona was away, Big Anthony could not resist the temptation to use the magic pasta pot.  He became an instant hero as the pot made enough pasta to feed the entire town's population.  If the story ended there all might have been well but it did not.  Big Anthony had learned enough to of the magic song to get the pasta started but not enough to make it stop!  By the time Strega Nona came home, the village was nearly flooded with pasta.  She became the town's heroine as she stemmed the tide of pasta as she sang the magic song and blew three kisses.  But then they turned on poor Big Anthony.  "String him up," the men of the town shouted.  But, Strega Nona determined that "the punishment must fit the crime."  She handed poor Big Anthony a fork.  Happy ending.

Bonnie R   
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