Strega Nona's Harvest by Tomie dePaola

In looking to write about something timely I discovered a wonderful new book by one of my favorite authors. Tomie dePaola has always been one of my favorites because his books transcend time and space. His illustrations are warm and inviting and appeal to both grown ups and children. When my niece Celia was a little girl she used to ask me to read over and over his book called The Clown of God. When she heard that I was going to have lunch with him she asked if she could give me a letter to tell him how much she liked his books. He was really generous and sent her a drawing and a thank you. It really made her day to receive a personal message from someone she liked. That was many years ago and she is in college now but I know that is one of her favorite memories.

How happy I was to see that his new book, Strega Nona's Harvest, has just come out. I love Strega Nona and Big Anthony. When I did story times these were always fun books to read because the children would get a kick out of the Big Anthony's antics.

This new book has Strega Nona trying to teach Big Anthony about gardening but again he messes up. Happily everything works out in the end. The colors invoke the approaching autumn with flair. This is a great read aloud and should be enjoyed by reader and listener alike!