  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 10/01/2011 K-Gr 3—Fans of Strega Nona and her bumbling helper will delight in this funny tale in which the many feasts of the holiday season are the focal point. All is well until the eve of the Epiphany, the special night when animals are rumored to talk and are therefore well fed by their owners. Big Anthony greedily consumes the goat's treats, and the animal retaliates by eating his blanket. He suffers a cold and sleepless night without receiving the dreams of bountiful food that Strega Nona sends everyone else in the village as her gift. When he finds the lucky fava bean in the Epiphany cake, he asks for a gift of a new blanket and a dish of delicious food that he gives to the goat as a truce. Infused with warm Italian flavor and decorated with dePaola's signature charming illustrations, this is a holiday selection that readers will savor.—Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library - Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 12/15/2011 The latest picture book in the popular, enduring series that began with Caldecott Honor Book Strega Nona (1975) weaves Italian holiday traditions into a lively story about Big Anthony, a tall boy, and his grandmother in their Italian village. From Christmas to the Feast of San Silvestro to the Epifanía—the Feast of the Three Kings—his Big Anthony celebrates and feasts through December and January, and along the way, he messes up. In one scene, for example, he gobbles up the delicious turnips that Strega Nona cooks for the goat, so the goat gobbles Big Anthony’s blanket . . . . Kids will enjoy the mischief and the turnarounds, shown with gentle humor in the joyful acrylic-and-watercolor pictures filled with food, singing, and dancing. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Strega Nona holds a key spot in the pantheon of classic children’s book characters; expect instant and enduring demand. - Copyright 2011 Booklist. Loading...
 |