Strega Nona is a 1979 children's book written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola.
It tells the story of Strega Nona, a witch who aids a village with her cures for headaches and warts, as well as her matchmaking skills. When the witch is away, she puts Big Anthony to work, reminding him not to touch her enchanted pasta pot. Not heeding her advice, Anthony serves the villagers pasta. He is unable to stop the pot from producing more, flooding the town with noodles.
dePaola went on to create many other books featuring the characters first introduced in Strega Nona, including Big Anthony and the Magic Ring and Strega Nona Meets Her Match. The original book was adapted into a musical by the Children's Theatre Company, which went on to develop and produce Bert & Ernie, Goodnight!.
References[]
- Characters from the book, including Strega Nona and Big Anthony were adapted as Muppets in the TV series Telling Stories with Tomie dePaola.
- Count von Count participated in a reading of the original Strega Nona book in an appearance on Mrs. Bush's Story Time.