Tomie dePaola's beloved 'grandmother witch' is back in this second Christmas adventure, following upon the earlier Merry Christmas, Strega Nona. In this tale, Strega Nona and all of the other townsfolk in her Calabrian village are busy cooking for all of the traditional feasts associated with the holiday season. From the Feast of San Nicola on December 6th through the Feast of Epiphany on January 6th, there's a month of food and festivities. Big Anthony, almost run off his feet with all the errands, enjoys the food a little too much, stealing the goat's special dish, made on the Eve of Epiphany, when the animals are said to be able to talk to one another. As a result of his actions, he misses out on Strega Nona's special gift to all of the townsfolk...

I greatly enjoyed Strega Nona's Gift, not just for the humorous and heartwarming story and charming illustrations - something I always appreciate in Strega Nona stories - but for the glimpse it gives into the wealth of Italian traditions associated with the Christmas season. There is even an afterword here, explaining each of the feasts and observances mentioned in the story. I chuckled, of course, at Big Anthony's foolishness, shaking my head at the fact that he never learns, but I also appreciated the fact that his misadventures never arise from malice. In some ways, I think Big Anthony is meant to represent the child - perhaps the child reader - who gets into trouble through thoughtlessness, more than anything else. Recommended to Strega Nona fans, and to anyone seeking picture-books featuring Italian Christmas traditions. ( )

Strega Nona's Gift is part of the Strega Nona's series written by Tomie dePaola. This story is about the traditions of the holiday season in Italy. It highlights the feasts that were prepared on various days throughout December and January in celebration of historical events. Strega Nona would prepare food for the whole town, but on one particular day, the feast was for the animals they owned. Her grandson and helper, Big Anthony, was asked to deliver the food to the goat, but it smelled so good that he ate it! That night, the goat ate Big Anthony's blanket so he couldn't get any sleep. Fortunately, the next day, Big Anthony asked Strega Nona for more of that dish and he fed the goat the delicious meal that night. The goat was no longer vengeful and everyone went about celebrating the season. The main idea of this picture book is to inform its readers of the traditions people in Italy used to follow, but it also has an underlying message of amending and forgiving. ( )

This is the first book that I read by Tomie dePaola. I was very impressed that he both wrote and illustrated the book. I also found it interesting that many of the pages were broken into two sections, with text and a picture under the text and then another few lines of text with a different picture. I haven't really seen that before in any of the picture books that I have read.
This book describes the different festivals and customs of the holiday season. Strega Nona is magic, and Big Anthony is her helper. One night, Strega Nona made a large feast of food for the animals, as is custom in their town. Big Anthony was instructed to take a bowl of delicious food to the goats. Instead, Big Anthony ate the food himself. In retaliation, the goat ate Big Anthony's blanket and he could not sleep or dream the dream of delicious food that Strega Nona bestowed on everyone in the town. The next day, everyone was given a piece of cake and whoever got the piece with the fava bean was the king or queen of the feast. Big Anthony received the bean, and in turn was allowed to receive a gift. Realizing the error of his ways from the night before, Big Anthony asks for the gift that was meant for the goat and brings it to him to right his wrong.
I thought this was a very interesting book. It explains customs from another place, which I think is important for children. The fava bean also very much reminded me of a king cake and the king cake baby, which would be a great connection to make for younger students. ( )

I remember reading Strega Nona as a kid. I loved the story, and the pictures. I'd never read Strega Nona's Gift until now, but I can't say I was disappointed. The story is a great introduction to the holiday season from a traditional Italian viewpoint. Big Anthony just can't stay out of trouble, no matter the time of year. ( )

Another great Strega Nona book written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola. The story takes place in a village where Strega Nona lives. For the upcoming month of December and January, they celebrate different things. The main thing they do for these occasions is to have feasts. Most of the time, we are watching as Strega Nona and Big Anthony prepare for the feasts. I love how the theme of this book is about culture. When children are reading this book, they will learn a lot about how different people celebrate in different ways. Tomie depaola explains these holidays in ways that kids will understand. Once again, the illustration is wonderful for this story. They are very colorful and brighten up the page. When reading from Tomie dePaola book, I notice the illustrations bring out the meaning of the text with the way he draws them. this book would be great for kids, especially around Christmas! ( )