Starred Review for Publishers Weekly (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

DePaola executes a clever concept with his trademark charm and humor, offering a prequel to the series that began in 1976 with the Caldecott Honor book Strega Nona. Here the author/artist tells how his charismatic character came to become a strega (witch) with a """"magic touch."""" The """"biography"""" begins on a dark and stormy night in the hills of Calabria, where Grandma Concetta authoritatively oversees Nona's birth. Convinced that Nona will be a strega like her, the big-hearted woman teaches her granddaughter how to use herbs and spells to remedy villagers' aches and troubles. Nona, along with her overconfident friend Amelia (who sets herself up as Nona's rival in some of the other books), attends the Academy for Stregas, but soon concludes that its newfangled approach to magic is not for her, and returns home to practice her craft the old-fashioned way. Eventually she discovers Grandma Concetta's all-important secret ingredient: love. With their expressive faces and pertly exaggerated profiles (Strega Nona's signature hooked nose punctuates her face even as a newborn), the classic characters happily cavort in sunnily colored, droll illustrations. And dePaola does a splendid job of working this sparkling tale into the Strega Nona canon: on the final page, for example, the aging strega opens her door to the first respondent to her ad for a helper, whom fans will immediately recognize as the gangly and beloved Big Anthony. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

ALA Booklist

A prequel to the beloved Strega Nona picture books, this begins with Nona's birth, attended by her Grandma Concetta. This wise woman presides over her granddaughter's youth and education and teaches her how to be a village strega listening to people's troubles and providing them with remedies and advice. When Concetta is ready to retire, she gives her house, her practice, the title Strega, her magic pasta pot, and her secret ingredient to Nona. Children who know the other Strega Nona books will delight in the way the end of this picture book leads into the beginning of the original Strega Nona The sunny illustrations are classic dePaola: rounded shapes, repeated forms, and harmony in color, compositions, and emotional tenor. A winsome biography that belongs in the collections of public and school libraries. (Reviewed Sept. 15, 1996)

Horn Book

The rain fell and the wind blew on the night the 'bambina' was born in Calabria. Grandma Concetta knew immediately that the baby's name would be Nona and that she would become a 'strega'. The gently humorous story is told with a straightforward text sprinkled with Italian words and simply drawn, warmly colored illustrations featuring comfortably rounded figures.

Kirkus Reviews

This warm and affable prequel to Strega Nona (1975) is a biography of the Italian sorcerer. It is a dark and stormy night in Calabria when baby Nona is born. Grandma Concetta pronounces that Nona will be a strega, and as the child grows, she teaches her lore. Baby Nona in her bonnet and the child Nona in her braids and trying a perm are humorous sights indeed as readers learn of the origins of this beloved character. An intriguing career choice confronts Nona as she tries a stint at the modern Accademia delle Streghe—the higher education institution for stregas. Homey Nona doesn't take to the new methods and longs for her dear Concetta and the countryside. There, her apprenticeship begins in earnest until the mantle of strega is placed upon Nona's shoulders. The secret of the pasta pot is lovingly passed on to her, and the last page reveals a private joke for readers of the other books: Big Anthony arrives at the door for the first time, in answer to an advertisement for an assistant. The familiar artwork is tinted in sophisticated watercolor hues and infused with warmth; the back jacket shows Strega Nona on an Italian hilltop gaily autographing books. Clearly, she and dePaola know plenty about labors of love. (Picture book/folklore. 4-8) (Author tour)"

School Library Journal

Gr 5-7--Martha was her father's pride and joy until a family scandal humiliated him, leaving him a broken man. Overwhelmed by his lot in life, Mr. Rosedale, a ventriloquist on the 1928 vaudeville circuit, can no longer relate to his daughter. Instead, he devotes all his attention to Iris, the well-dressed, smart-talking, wooden puppet that he uses in his act. Convinced that her father loves the female Pinocchio more than he loves her, Martha becomes so jealous that she vows to eliminate the offending creature once and for all. In a final, desperate attempt to destroy her ``sister'' (as Mr. Rosedale foolishly calls Iris), Martha finally cries out for the help she needs and, thanks to the kindness of her friends, acrobat Stashu and boarding house matron, Mama Pelosi, is able to put her life back on track. Occupying a world very different from the insular one that Mr. Rosedale has created for himself, Martha and her two friends are the most well-rounded characters. Their story is well told and moves at a brisk pace, incorporating many details of the lives of traveling vaudevillians. In the same vein as Slepian's The Broccoli Tapes (Putnam, 1989), this is a tale of intense emotion, focusing on the need for and the power of love. While Martha ultimately finds love, her father is left with only the memories of his career and the knowledge that he has failed his daughter. Although the print size, cover illustration, and length of the novel will appeal to young readers, the challenging vocabulary and somewhat abrupt--and rather dark--ending are more suited to older audiences. Consider using this selection as a discussion-starter on the effects of emotional abuse.--Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI