Many people say it's good to choose a likable protagonist--when you're writing--and whether or not you agree, you have to concede that Strega Nona is supremely likable. She is a bit like Wonder Woman, in a peasant's dress. No problem, for her, is insurmountable. An inept assistant, a diva-esque cousin, a lovelorn visitor in search of a bachelor-man: These things are "as nothing" to Strega Nona. Not only does the witch set things right, but, also, she does her work with supreme calmness and tact. No one receiving her help has to feel embarrassed about being needy or incompetent. Though Strega Nona may be aware of the incompetence, she has great skill in pretending to look the other way.
Not to read too much into a series of picture books.....but it's Strega Nona's warmth, love, and compassion--more than her skill--that help to make her a favorite among readers. When she reveals the secret of her trade--in one of the earlier books--it's not intelligence or craftiness, but "love." Surprising and inevitable. And there's nothing cloying in DePaola's work; the writer himself seems so big-hearted, you can forgive him an occasional sermon.
As people get older, they might slow down in their creative output. Fair enough. I actually thought DePaola had hung up his hat, so I was delighted, recently, to discover a new-ish entry in the Strega Nona canon--"Strega Nona Does It Again."
The title is a bit less vivid than "Big Anthony and the Magic Ring," and one wonders if DePaola is maybe fighting an urge to slow down. Also, the plot seems sort of recycled: The problem, in "SN Does It Again," very closely recalls the problem in the "Strega Amelia" phase of DePaola's work. Strega Amelia was a tiresome diva, desperate for attention; the visitors in "Does It Again" are the same.
Even so, there's a smart, new twist. Bored with the self-absorbed lovers who are plaguing her, Strega Nona pretends to design a nuptial bower for them, a bower with prominent mirrors. Of course all the trappings are unnecessary; what the witch has really provided is an opportunity for the two lovers to gaze upon themselves. The trick works: Entranced by their own splendid images, the two lovers decide never to bother anyone ever again. Or something like this.
It's nice just to see Strega Nona still doing her work--and doing it in a subtle way, or subtle-for-picture-books way. Still doing that work after all these years. And I'm happy to see that Tomie DePaola is now "outing" himself as a Broadway fan: His villain, in the new book, is based on Bernadette Peters, and the dedication is something like...."To Bernadette....whose splendid hair is outmatched only by her talent."
A book worth visiting, if you're looking for solid and relatively-recent children's lit. It's never a bad idea to study the Ways of the World and the Ways of Diplomacy, as interpreted by Strega Nona.
Not to read too much into a series of picture books.....but it's Strega Nona's warmth, love, and compassion--more than her skill--that help to make her a favorite among readers. When she reveals the secret of her trade--in one of the earlier books--it's not intelligence or craftiness, but "love." Surprising and inevitable. And there's nothing cloying in DePaola's work; the writer himself seems so big-hearted, you can forgive him an occasional sermon.
As people get older, they might slow down in their creative output. Fair enough. I actually thought DePaola had hung up his hat, so I was delighted, recently, to discover a new-ish entry in the Strega Nona canon--"Strega Nona Does It Again."
The title is a bit less vivid than "Big Anthony and the Magic Ring," and one wonders if DePaola is maybe fighting an urge to slow down. Also, the plot seems sort of recycled: The problem, in "SN Does It Again," very closely recalls the problem in the "Strega Amelia" phase of DePaola's work. Strega Amelia was a tiresome diva, desperate for attention; the visitors in "Does It Again" are the same.
Even so, there's a smart, new twist. Bored with the self-absorbed lovers who are plaguing her, Strega Nona pretends to design a nuptial bower for them, a bower with prominent mirrors. Of course all the trappings are unnecessary; what the witch has really provided is an opportunity for the two lovers to gaze upon themselves. The trick works: Entranced by their own splendid images, the two lovers decide never to bother anyone ever again. Or something like this.
It's nice just to see Strega Nona still doing her work--and doing it in a subtle way, or subtle-for-picture-books way. Still doing that work after all these years. And I'm happy to see that Tomie DePaola is now "outing" himself as a Broadway fan: His villain, in the new book, is based on Bernadette Peters, and the dedication is something like...."To Bernadette....whose splendid hair is outmatched only by her talent."
A book worth visiting, if you're looking for solid and relatively-recent children's lit. It's never a bad idea to study the Ways of the World and the Ways of Diplomacy, as interpreted by Strega Nona.
Comments
Post a Comment