Strega Nona



Strega Nona
By: Tomie dePaola
Genre: Fiction
Ages 4-8

This story is about an older lady named Strega Nona who helps the people in her village by curing headaches, helping women find husbands and helping people get rid of their warts. She hires a man named Big Anthony to do chores for her and tells him he is not allowed to touch her big pasta pot. Big Anthony does not listen and he tries to make pasta but the pasta will not stop coming out of the pot. He makes a huge mess. When Strega Nona returns she makes him eat all of the pasta as his punishment. Students will love the adventure Big Anthony brings to the story as well as learn the difference between responsible and irresponsible.

Theme:

To be responsible means to be trustworthy, to make good choices and to do what you are supposed to do. When we do not do these things that is called being irresponsible. When we are irresponsible people are not happy with us and we do not do what we need to get done. Big Anthony in the story Strega Nona was not responsible. He did not do what he was supposed to do and Strega Nona cannot trust him anymore.

About the author:
Tomie dePaola has written and/or illustrated nearly 250 children's books. Tomie has received several different awards for his works including the Caldecott Honor Award for Strega Nona. Tomie's works will be remembered for years to come.

Pre-reading activities:

Design a “being responsible” poster as a class. Include what it means to be responsible and types of responsibilities the students have on the poster. Keep the poster in the classroom for all to see.

Post-reading activities:

Write about a time you were responsible. Describe it. Write about a time you were irresponsible. Describe it. How did you feel about yourself?