An Introduction to Tomie dePaola: Folktales for Young Readers
by Melissa Taylor
Tomie dePaola is one of the world’s most beloved children’s authors and illustrators with over 260 books to his name. A storyteller since he was young, he knew at age four that he wanted to write and draw stories for a living. DePaola’s books have won many awards including a Newbery Honor, Caledcott Honor, and Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, selling over 25 million copies. His stories frequently draw from his faith, love of folktales, and Italian-Irish heritage.
Readers of dePaola’s picture books know he often writes folktales, some of his own invention and others that are retellings. Strega Nona is dePaola’s most popular folktale; in fact, it’s picture book canon for most children. DePaola says he is drawn to folktales because they are about people. He likes that they teach a life lesson and that the characters succeed by hard work.
You’ll also notice that dePaola’s work is influenced by his spiritual values. Many of his books retell Christian stories or are about Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter.
Of course, you can’t talk about dePaola without mentioning his incredible artwork. His distinctive, colorful illustrations reflect a folk-art influence with bold lines, strong shapes, and evocative simplicity.
Here are just some of our favorite Tomie dePaola stories.
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Folktale Stories
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Big Anthony
Available from:Who doesn’t adore Strega Nona’s lovable helper, Big Anthony? Now you can read about his life as a young boy. Big Anthony’s absentmindedness makes for many hilarious adventures including the time when he mistakenly “fixed” the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
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The Legend of the Bluebonnet
Available from:During a terrible drought, the Comanche people pray to the Great Spirits for rain. The Spirits tell the people that because of their selfishness, they must sacrifice their most precious possession. A little girl named She-Who-Is-Alone knows it’s her beloved doll, so she burns it willingly to help her tribe. The ashes from her doll become the bluebonnet flowers that reappear every spring.
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Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato
Available from:Resigned to starve since his wife can no longer work, lazy Jamie O’Rourke happens upon a leprechaun. The leprechaun convinces Jamie not to wish for gold but for the world’s biggest potato instead. He does. The potato grows so big and causes so much trouble for the village, the villagers agree to provide Jamie with food for the rest of his life if only he doesn’t grow any more gigantic potatoes.
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Autobiographical Stories
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26 Fairmount Avenue
Available from:Awarded a Newbery Honor, this chapter book tells about dePaola’s life in 1938 at age five. He’s a precocious, charming little boy with many humorous adventures including his disappointment when he finds out he won’t learn to read in kindergarten and his reaction to the “Snow White” movie.
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Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs
Available from:Little Tommy loves to visit his grandma and great-grandma on Sundays. One day, his great-grandma, Nana Upstairs, is gone. Tommy learns that as sad as it is to say goodbye when someone dies, he will carry the memories of her forever.
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The Art Lesson
Available from:Tommy’s favorite thing is art. He draws constantly. His cousins tell him never to copy but to practice, practice, practice. When Tommy starts school, he’s upset because his art teacher wants Tommy to copy her drawings. Fortunately, his teacher figures out how to give Tommy more creative freedom within the structure of her rules.
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Christmas and Religious Stories
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The Legend of the Poinsettia
Available from:In this traditional Mexican folktale, Lucinda’s mother is too sick to finish the woven blanket for Baby Jesus. When Lucinda tries to finish the blanket, she tangles the yarn so much the blanket is ruined. An old woman tells Lucinda that any gift Lucinda gives will be beautiful to Jesus. So, Lucinda brings Baby Jesus weeds. The weeds transform into beautiful red flowers, the first poinsettias, representing the beauty of gifts given from the heart.
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The Night of Las Posadas
Available from:In Santa Fe, New Mexico, the village is celebrating Las Posadas, the journey of Mary and Joseph on Christmas Eve, with a procession. Unfortunately, the organizer, Sister Angie, gets the flu and Lupe and Roberto, who are playing Mary and Joseph, get stuck in a snowstorm. In a Christmas miracle, a man and woman arrive to take the place of Lupe and Roberto so the pageant can go on.
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Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland
Available from:Patrick is kidnapped from his home and taken to Ireland where he’s forced to work as a shepherd. Eventually, he escapes back to Britain only to receive a vision from God to return to Ireland and spread the Christian faith. The book ends with popular legends about St. Patrick including the stories of the shamrock and the snakes.
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Just for Fun Stories
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The Knight and the Dragon
Available from:The illustrations tell much of this story of a knight, who has never met a dragon, preparing to battle a dragon, and a dragon, who has never met a knight, preparing to battle a knight. (Luckily there’s a librarian princess who helps them find books on the subject.) When the two finally meet, their fight is a disaster. Instead of fighting, the two become friends and start a BBQ business together.
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