Tomie dePaola

Children's book writer and illustrator

• Born: September 15, 1934
• Birthplace: Meriden, Connecticut
• Died:March 30, 2020
• Deathplace:Lebanon, New Hampshire

Biography

Tomie dePaola was born on September 15, 1934, in Meriden, Connecticut, into an Irish and Italian family. His parents were Joseph N. and Florence Downey dePaola. Before he was four years old, young dePaola expressed his desire to be an artist. His mother encouraged his love of books. DePaola received a BFA from Pratt Institute in 1956, an MFA from the California College for Arts and Crafts in 1969, and a doctoral equivalency degree from Lone Mountain College in San Francisco in 1970. Over the years, he taught art or theater design at a variety of institutions, including at Lone Mountain, Colby-Sawyer College, and New England College. In his later years, he settled in New Hampshire and wrote in a studio attached to a restored two-hundred-year-old barn.

DePaola wrote or illustrated hundreds of books for children, beginning with The Wonderful Dragon of Timlin (1966), and remained prolific up to his death. In 1975, his retelling of an Italian folk legend, Strega Nona, was named a Caldecott Honor Book. This book is characteristic of dePaola’s work: It uses an old legend, found across cultures, as the basis for the story, and the illustrations are both humorous and tender. DePaola wrote several additional Strega Nona books, and they were all well received by critics and children alike.

In addition to retelling old Italian folktales and legends, dePaola typically drew his subject matter from religious stories, as in his book Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi (1982) and The Lady of Guadalupe (1982). In other books, he wrote about Christmas, including Merry Christmas, Strega Nona (1986). DePaola used events from his own life as the basis of his stories. His 1979 book Oliver Button Is a Sissy, for example, drew on his experiences with bullying for his early interests in activities such as art and dance; after he came out as gay in 2019, it was cited as the closest allusion to his sexuality in any of his works. He also published the 26 Fairmount Avenue series, a set of eight autobiographical novels for children between 1999 and 2009. DePaola also wrote to teach; for example, he explains and illustrates the process of sheep shearing in one of his books. His work is generally humorous, and he always treats the idea of family with reverence and respect.

DePaola accumulated an impressive list of awards over his career. Indeed, he may be the most honored of all children’s authors. Among other awards, he earned a 1976 Caldecott Honor Award for Strega Nona, the 1982 Golden Kite Award for Illustration for Giorgio’s Village; the 1983 Regina Medal from the Catholic Library Association; the 1986 David McCord’s Children’s Literature Citation; the 1990 James Smithson Medal, awarded by the Smithsonian Institute; the 2000 Newbery Honor Award; the 2003 Jo Osborne Award for Humor in Children’s Literature; the 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award from the New Hampshire Writer’s Project; and the 2008 New England Book Award. In addition, he received nine honorary degrees. His oeuvre was recognized with the American Library Association Children’s Literature Legacy Award in 2011 and the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Two related retrospective exhibits, collectively titled “Tomie dePaola: Then and Now,” were held at Colby-Sawyer College in 2013 and 2014.

Named in 1999 as one of “One Hundred People Who Shaped the Century” by the Concord Monitor, dePaola’s achievements in the world of children’s literature are self-evident. His illustrations and his recasting of legend and myth have become an integral part of childhood in the United States.

In 2020 dePaola experienced a fall. Following an operation for injuries sustained in that accident, he died of complications on March 30, 2020, in Lebanon, New Hampshire. He was eighty-five years old.

Author Works

Children's Literature

The Wonderful Dragon of Timlin, 1966

Fight the Night, 1968

Joe and the Snow, 1968

Parker Pig, Esquire, 1969

The Journey of the Kiss, 1970

The Monster's Ball, 1970

The Wind and the Sun, 1972

The Unicorn and the Moon, 1973

Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs, 1973

Andy, That's My Name, 1973

Charlie Needs a Cloak, 1973

Watch Out for the Chicken Feet in Your Soup, 1974

Strega Nona, 1975 (also known as The Magic Pasta Pot)

Michael Bird-Boy, 1975

The Cloud Book, 1975

When Everyone Was Fast Asleep, 1976

Things to Make and Do for Valentine's Day, 1976

Four Stories for Four Seasons, 1977

Helga's Dowry: A Troll Love Story, 1977

The Quicksand Book, 1977

The Clown of God: An Old Story, 1978

The Christmas Pageant, 1978

Bill and Pete, 1978

The Popcorn Book, 1978

Pancakes for Breakfast, 1978

Criss-Cross Applesauce, 1978 (with B. A. King)

Big Anthony and the Magic Ring, 1979

Songs of the Fog Maiden, 1979

Oliver Button Is a Sissy, 1979

The Kids' Cat Book, 1979

Flicks, 1979

The Knight and the Dragon, 1980

The Legend of Old Befana: An Italian Christmas Story, 1980

The Prince of the Dolomites, 1980

The Lady of Guadalupe, 1980

The Family Christmas Tree Book, 1980

Fin M'Coul, the Giant of Knockmany Hill, 1981

Now One Foot, Now the Other, 1981

The Hunter and the Animals, 1981

The Comic Adventures of Old Mother Hubbard and Her Dog, 1981

The Friendly Beasts: An Old English Christmas Carol, 1981

Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi, 1982

Giorgio's Village, 1982

Strega Nona's Magic Lessons, 1982

Legend of the Bluebonnet: An Old Tale of Texas, 1983

Noah and the Ark, 1983

The Story of the Three Wise Kings, 1983

Mariana May and Nursey, 1983

Sing, Pierrot, Sing, 1983

Tomie dePaola's Country Farm , 1984

David and Goliath, 1984

The Mysterious Giant of Barletta, 1984

The First Christmas, A Festive Pop-Up Book

Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose, 1985

Queen Esther, 1986

Tomie dePaola's Favorite Nursery Tales, 1986

Pajamas for Kit, 1986

Merry Christmas, Strega Nona, 1986

Katie's Good Idea, 1986

Katie, Kit and Cousin Tom, 1986

Katie and Kit at the Beach, 1986

Tomie dePaola's Book of Christmas Carols, 1987

The Parables of Jesus, 1987

The Miracles of Jesus, 1987

An Early American Christmas, 1987

Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile, 1987

Tomie dePaola's Book of Poems, 1988

The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush, 1988

Baby's First Christmas, 1988

Too Many Hopkins, 1989

Tony's Bread, 1989

My First Chanukah, 1989

Haircuts for the Woolseys, 1989

The Art Lesson, 1989

Tomie dePaola's Book of Bible Stories, 1990

My First Passover, 1990

My First Easter, 1990

Little Grunt and the Big Egg, 1990

My First Halloween, 1991

Bonjour, Mr. Satie, 1991

Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland, 1992

My First Thanksgiving, 1992

Jingle, the Christmas Clown, 1992

Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato, 1992

Tom, 1993

Strega Nona Meets Her Match, 1993

The Legend of the Persian Carpet, 1993 (illustrated by Claire Ewart)

The Legend of the Poinsettia, 1994

Kit and Kat, 1994

Christopher, the Holy Giant, 1994

Tomie dePaola's Book of the Old Testament, 1995

Mary, the Mother of Jesus, 1995

Country Angel Christmas, 1995

Strega Nona, Her Story, 1996

Get Dressed, Santa!, 1996

The Bubble Factory, 1996

The Baby Sister, 1996

Tomie's Little Mother Goose, 1997

Days of the Blackbird: A Tale of Northern Italy, 1997

Hey Diddle Diddle & Other Mother Goose Rhymes, 1998

Bill and Pete to the Rescue, 1998

Big Anthony, His Story, 1998

The Night of Las Posadas, 1999

26 Fairmount Avenue series, 1999–2009

Strega Nona Takes a Vacation, 2000

Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka, 2000

Here We All Are, 2000

On My Way, 2001

Meet the Barkers: Morgan and Moffat Go to School, 2001

Hide-and-Seek All Week, 2001

Boss for a Day, 2001

What a Year, 2002

T-Rex Is Missing, 2002

Tomie's Little Christmas Pageant, 2002

Tomie's Little Christmas Pageant, 2002

A New Barker in the House, 2002

Four Friends at Christmas, 2002

Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story, 2002

Trouble in the Barkers' Class, 2003

Things Will Never Be the Same, 2003

Marcos Counts, 2003

Marcos Colors, 2003

Four Friends in Summer, 2003

Tomie's Three Bears and Other Tales, 2004

Tomie's Little Book of Poems, 2004

Tomie's Baa, Baa, Black Sheep and Other Rhymes, 2004

Pascual and the Kitchen Angels, 2004

Guess Who's Coming to Santa's for Dinner?, 2004

Four Friends in Autumn, 2004

Stagestruck, 2005

Angels, Angels Everywhere, 2005

I'm Still Scared, 2006

Christmas Remembered, 2006

Why?, 2007

Tomie's Little Book of Love, 2007

Tomie dePaola's Front Porch Tales and North Country Whoppers, 2007

Tomie dePaola's Big Book of Favorite Legends, 2007

My First Christmas, 2008

Brava, Strega Nona!, 2008

My First Mother Goose, 2009

My First Fairy Tales, 2009

Strega Nona's Harvest, 2009

The Song of Francis, 2009

For the Duration, 2009

My First Songs, 2010

My First Bible Stories, 2010

My First Christmas Carols, 2010

Joy to the World: Christmas Stories and Songs, 2010

My Mother Is So Smart, 2010

My First Legends: The Story of Bluebonnet, 2011

Let the Whole Earth Sing Praise, 2011

Strega Nona's Gift, 2011

My First Angels

The Birds of Bethlehem, 2013

Jack, 2014

Andy, That's My Name, 2015

The Magical World of Strega Nona: A Treasury, 2015

Look and Be Grateful, 2016

Andy and Sandy series (2016–17) (with Jim Lewis)

Strega Nona Does It Again, 2017

Strega Nona and Her Tomatoes, 2017

Strega Nona and the Twins, 2017

The Good Samaritan and Other Parables, 2017

Strega Nona's Magic Ring, 2018

In a Small Kingdom, 2018 (illustrated by Doug Salati)

Quiet, 2018

Bibliography

DePaola, Tomie. Interview. Reading Rockets, 2002, www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/depaola. Accessed 6 July 2017.

DePaola, Tomie. "Five Questions for Tomie DePaola." Interview. The Horn Book, 30 Nov. 2015, www.hbook.com/2015/11/authors-illustrators/five-questions-for-tomie-depaola-2. Accessed 6 July 2017.

Elleman, Barbara. "Tomie dePaola." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 87, no. 4, 2011, pp. 80–84.

Lodge, Sally. "Tomie dePaola Is 'Grateful' for a Storied Career." Publishers Weekly, 2 Oct. 2015, www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/68251-tomie-depaola-is-grateful-for-a-storied-career.html. Accessed 6 July 2017.

Magra, Iliana, and Julia Carmel. “Tomie DePaola, ‘Strega Nona’ Author and Illustrator, Dies at 85.” The New York Times, 2 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/books/tomie-de-paola-dead.html. Accessed 28 Oct 2020.

Rosen, Judith. "250 Children's Books and Counting: A Conversation with Tomie dePaola." Publishers Weekly, 31 Oct. 2013, www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/59792-250-children-s-books-and-counting-a-conversation-with-tomie-depaola.html. Accessed 6 July 2017.