Tomie dePaola

Strega Nona sends home gifts of candy and bubble bath while on vacation, but when Bambolona grabs the candy, Big Anthony is left with a lot of bubbles.

"It's Christmas time in Calabria and with Strega Nona's annual feast around the corner, she has no time for her usual magical tasks. Christmas has a magic of its own, and no one knows magic like Strega Nona does, especially Big Anthony. But with the clock ticking on her preparations, will Big Anthony finally be able to prove that he can be counted on with some magic of his own?"--

Children's author-illustrator Tomie De Paola describes his experiences at home and in school when he was a boy.

Tomie de Paola's first story featuring his beloved Strega Nona character, who began life in the 1970s as a doodle, and was the perfect creation for his Italianized retelling of Der süße Brei, Grimm's Fairy Tales, number 103. Der süße Brei, or The sweet porridge, is better known in English as The magic porridge pot. When Strega Nona leaves him alone with her magic pasta pot, Big Anthony is determined to show the townspeople how it works.

Grandma Concetta heals everyone with her remedies and advice, and when she retires, she leaves Nona her magic pasta pot with its secret ingredient.

After helping Strega Nona plant her vegetable garden just so, Big Anthony takes some extra seeds and sows another garden willy nilly, then must find a way to deal with the consequences.

Little Gopher follows his destiny, as revealed in a Dream-Vision, of becoming an artist for his people and eventually is able to bring the colors of the sunset down to the earth.

"When the first big snow of winter hits, Sandy wants to play outside--but Andy isn't so sure. Sandy drags Andy along to make a snowman, go sledding, and make snow angels. Will Andy discover that snow can be fun--despite being wet and cold?"--

While observing the busy world around them, two children and their grandfather take a moment to appreciate being quiet and still.

In Strega Nona's village, the holiday season is a time of celebrations-and nothing says celebration like a feast. All the kitchens are bustling from the Feast of San Nicola, when the children choose the food, to the Feast of Epiphany, when someone gets to be king or queen for the day. Even the animals share in the holiday spirit, and when Big Anthony smells the delicious treats Strega Nona is cooking for them, he decides that just a taste couldn't...