De Paola, Tomie
De Paola, Tomie (1934– ),American author and artist. He began to illustrate children's books in 1965 and created his fairy‐tale‐like book The Wonderful Dragon of Timlin in 1966. De Paola's European and American Indian folk tales and legends are among the more than 200 books he illustrated. He created the name for a grandmother witch, ‘Strega Nona’, borrowing from Italian folklore. Strega Nona: An Old Tale (1975) recalls how an apprentice recited a magic spell that keeps a pot boiling and causes trouble that only the grandmother can resolve. Big Anthony and the Magic Ring (1979), Strega Nona's Magic Lessons (1982), and Merry Christmas, Strega Nona (1986) continue the adventures of Strega Nona and are purely De Paola's inventions, but told in a folklore style. While he honoured his paternal Italian ancestry for The Prince of the Dolomites: An Old Italian Tale (1980) and The Legend of Old...
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