Strega Nona Meets Her Match

Strega Nona Meets Her Match

Tomie dePaola

Grades: K-2

     Strega Nona is a powerful grandmother witch who provides many remedies for the townspeople of Calabria. One day Strega Amelia moves into town with her new updated remedies. Is Calabria big enough for two Strega’s or will Strega Nona have met her match?

     One day Strega Nona’s friend, Strega Amelia came from across the mountain to visit her. Upon her visit she witnessed all the customers who come to Strega Nona’s to cure their headaches, find them husbands and get rid of their warts. Strega Amelia was shocked at the amount of people that were there but also noted that Strega Nona still uses old fashioned ways. The next day Strega Amelia went back to her home. About a week later Strega Amelia returned to the town of Calabria and set up her own helpful services by using the latest scientific equipment. Strega Nona thought she had nothing to worry about, but she soon learned that she wrong. Day after day more and more people left Strega Nona and went to see Strega Amelia. After no one came for a few days Strega Nona had to let go her helpers, Big Anthony and Bambolona because she could not pay them. While Bambolona promised to come by a few days and help Strega Nona, Big Anthony went and got a job with Strega Amelia. After a few days of following Strega Amelia around doing exactly what she does, Strega Amelia decided to leave Big Anthony in charge while she went away for a few days to get more equipment. While Strega Amelia was away, Big Anthony ran the husband-and-wife machine backwards and confused the wart cream with the hair restorer. One the third day the mayor had come to visit Big Anthony with a headache and he ran the headache machine wrong because the directions were upside down. After all of Big Anthony's mistakes the towns people had enough of Strega Amelia and her new ways. The next day the townspeople went back to Strega Nona officially putting Strega Amelia out of business.

     Strega Nona Meets Her Match has some of the characteristics that make it a good children’s book.  The first is the lesson that it teaches. When choosing a children’s book for your students you want them to be able to learn from it. The lesson one could learn from this story is sometimes the “old fashioned” ways of doing things could be just as good as or even better than doing things new ways. Just because something maybe newer does not mean the quality is as good. This story also incorporates many Italian words, Italicized with its meaning inside the text. Students are learning a different language and culture. The story is a well written one because it is full of figurative language. This story is also well written because it has many dialogues between its characters. There is also an unexpected insight in this story. This story contained a surprise that Big Anthony went and work for Strega Amelia, Strega Nona's opponent. Another characteristic that makes this story qualify as a good children’s book is its illustrations. Tomie dePaola’s illustrations bring this story to life and enhance the reader’s experience. The illustrations are large, fun and full of color. They do a great job of establishing the setting of the small Italian town of Calabria. It also defines and develops its characters by defining their characteristics and showing their emotions through their actions and facial expressions. The illustrations also reinforce the text. The illustrations go along with the text telling the story though the story and also provide a better understanding.

     The genre of this story is fantastic fiction. Fantastic Fiction is an invented story that may be set in a real or made up place with an element that is not found in our world. This story is fantastic fiction because it is a made up story by the author. While the setting of this story is set in Calabria, Italy, it is fantastic fiction because it has magic in it and Stregas; witches. The magic that is used in this story is the remedies used to cure headaches, find husbands and get rid of warts preformed by Strega Nona.

     I would use this story in my classroom for a guided read aloud. I would read the story aloud. I would read this aloud because of the Italian vocabulary. We would first look at the cover and I would have the students predict what the story may be about. While reading I would reinforce important ideas and have them make predictions of what is going to happen. After I finish reading the story together as a whole group we would discuss the characters, setting and plot. For characters we may make a character chart for the main characters and list their characteristics. For setting to incorporate the content area of social studies I may have the students color in Italy on a map and learn a few basic facts about the small town of Calabria. We would discuss plot by using major events in the story in sequential order. We will determine the beginning, middle and end in relation to the problem and solution.

The Massachusetts standards that could be applied to this text are:

RI1.3 Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

RI1.7: Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

RL1.3: Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.