Brava, Strega Nona!: A Heartwarming Pop-Up Book by Tomie dePaola, Tomie dePaola (Illustrator), Robert Sabuda (Illustrator), Matthew Reinhart (Illustrator)

From Barnes & Noble

Tomie dePaola's original Strega Nona garnered him Caldecott Honor laurels, but this encore performance is sixfold more enchanting. That's the number of magnificent pop-up spreads that master paper engineers Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart have created for this edition.

From the Publisher

Tomie dePaola's Strega Nona has been loved by generations of children's book readers, but they've never seen her like this!

In six spreads of pop-up magnificence, paper engineered by the renowned #1 New York Times bestselling team of Sabuda and Reinhart, Strega Nona shares her words of wisdom for leading a magical life, all rendered in Tomie dePaola's classic style.

With doors to open, tabs to pull, and a host of other interactive features, readers will be drawn into Strega Nona's world in a way they've never been before. Brava, Strega Nona! is a glorious celebration of important values that will introduce a whole new generation of readers to this lovable character.

Publishers Weekly

DePaola's timeless Tuscan heroine trades in her magic spells in a pop-up book that will be best appreciated by kids who already know Strega Nona, Big Anthony and the rest. There's little storytelling: the initial spread has a small autobiographical inset "by" Strega Nona (complete with pop-ups) and a text box in Strega Nona's voice, declaring her intention to pass along her own and Grandma Concetta's secrets "for a magical life." The first of these is "famiglia-family"; accordingly, Sabuda and Reinhart (Encyclopedia Mythologica) supply a towering tree from which ancestors' portraits bloom and from which a swing hangs, holding Strega Nona. Elsewhere, Strega Nona's friends dine under a grape arbor; Big Anthony slides into the village square on an avalanche of pasta; Strega Nona's pasta pot overflows with red hearts (her "secret ingredient" is love). Don't look for Sabuda and Reinhart's most jaw-dropping work: built for relatively young hands (though not for toddlers), this book has few movable parts, and the interactive elements, like lift-the-flap shutters and doors on village houses, are clearly labeled for durability's sake. All ages. (Oct.)

Children's Literature

Strega Nona, a favorite familiar character, returns to pass along the secrets she learned from her Grandma Concetta. A small book inside on the first double page called My Life in Italian and English opens to four pop-up pages describing Strega Nona's birth and early life. The spectacular pop-up across these double pages is of her family tree, and "a big family" it is. This is for "Family," the first of the six ingredients she lists "that make life magical." There are a few clarifying lines for each ingredient, named in both Italian and English. All the typical dePaola characters are conceived with comic clarity and set in remarkably engineered theatrical scenes. On the next spread, "Eating together brings joy," a food-filled table rises with the characters sitting around it. On the pop-up page for "Friends," we encounter houses in Strega Nona's village, with people popping out of the windows and doors. The "Patience" spread reminds us of Big Anthony's disastrous experience with the magic pasta pot, with an intimidating tidal wave of twisting pasta coming from the overflowing bowl. "Celebration" reveals a dazzling panorama of the village square, complete with a multitude of inhabitants and a twirling fountain. For the secret ingredient "Love," Strega Nona herself rises from the double page, ready for a big hug, as multiple garlands of hearts surround her. "Always share your love and it will bring you a magical life." This is the message of this inventively creative three-dimensional tale. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

School Library Journal

K-Gr 4

This well-loved wise woman shares her secrets-passed on to her by Grandma Concetta-for a happy and "magical" life. Each spread names one essential element, identified in both Italian and English, and elaborated upon by the character in a chatty first-person narrative. Eye-catching 3-D sculptures offer an imaginative interpretation of the text. For "Famiglia - Family," a tree sprouts up from the pages, its lush green branches festooned with portraits of Strega Nona's relatives, many of whom proudly display the same "big nose and chin." "Mangia - Eat" shows her sharing a meal and the "telling of old and new stories" beneath the graceful arch of a grape arbor. A lively village scene with lift-the-flap doors introduces "Amici - Friends." The final spread, "Amore - Love," shows a contented Strega Nona working over a cauldron overflowing with hearts. Though dePaola's Strega Nona: Her Story (Putnam, 1996) presents a more thorough biography, fans of this wise witch will appreciate Brava 's warmhearted narrative and familiar folk-art illustrations. The artwork glows in rich shades of peach, red, and green, and the paper engineering is superlative. This book makes a fine choice for display (or supervised handling) in libraries and can also serve as an attention-grabber for author studies.-Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal

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