Literary Devices in Strega Nona
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
Get the BootAs Tomie dePaola is fond of pointing out, Calabria is located in the toe of the boot that is Italy (source). And Strega Nona takes place in a small town somewhere in that region. The ot...
Narrator Point of View
Third Person (Omniscient)"Her." "They." "She." All of these words along with the complete absence of an "I" voice indicate that Strega Nona is written in the third person. We know from the start th...
Genre
Children's Literature (definitely), and Folklore, Legend, and MythologyWhere do you suppose you would find this book in a bookstore? In the kids' section! Plus, it's a picture book, the language is...
Tone
Calm, Measured, and StraightforwardThere's a pasta tsunami in this book! The village appears doomed! And yet the writing remains calm, measured, and straightforward throughout. What's up with that?...
Writing Style
Simple and ConversationalIf you were gathered around a fireplace telling an old family story, you might sound a little bit like the narrator in Strega Nona. If you were trying to scare the pants of...
What's Up With the Title?
If you're wondering about this, you don't have to wonder for long. In the very first sentence of the book, Tomie dePaola lays it out for us. "Strega" is Italian for "witch," and "nonna" is Italian...
What's Up With the Ending?
The town is overflowing with pasta! There's no end in sight! The villagers are doomed! And then they aren't. The town's fate and Big Anthony's punishment are handled expeditiously by our title char...
Tough-o-Meter
(2) Sea LevelNot much to say here, folks.
Trivia
Tomie dePaola has written (and/or illustrated) more than 250 books. (Source)Tomie dePaola has received honorary doctoral degrees from eight different universities, including Georgetown and UConn. (...