Anthony spends a chilly and guilty night, shivering and having strange dreams filled with phantasmic foods. Senora Goat is not pleased with Anthony's substitution of ordinary hay and oats, and in revenge, she eats most of Big Anthony's warm blanket for dessert. 'I'll just take a tiny taste,' Big Anthony tells himself. True to the custom, Strega Nona prepares a delicious-looking dish in her magic pasta pot for her favorite, Senora Goat, and asks Big Anthony to carry it carefully out to her just before midnight. This year Big Anthony makes it goof-free until the eve of the Feast of Ephiphia, the night that the animals can speak to each other.

Oh, and don't forget to wear your red underwear! It brings luck!' Senora Anita threw her old stove out last year! 'Watch out! People throw old stuff out windows. He asks permission to go down to the bonfire in the village, but even then Strega Nona has to warn him about the customs of New Year's Eve: Big Anthony and Strega Nona prepare the codfish for the Feast of the Seven Fishes and the singing Zampognari, the shepherds from Abruzzi, climb the hill to Strega Nona's little house for her famous feast and to welcome the big day with heavenly music.īig Anthony manages to stay out of trouble, even on St. Down in the village Papa Bambo and his daughter Bambolina are dusty with flour as they prepare the special goodies for the upcoming festivals in their bakery.Īnd then it is Christmas Eve, time for La Vigilia, where no one eats until after the midnight mass that welcomes Christmas. Strega Nona keeps Big Anthony busy, fetching and carrying, as she cooks up a storm in her house on the hill. Nicholas's Day gone than the famous cooks of the town start preparing for Santa Lucia's Day.

ON DECEMBER 6, THE CHILDREN GOT TO CHOSE THE FOOD FOR THE FEAST BECAUSE SAN NICOLO WAS SAID TO LOVE CHILDREN.īut no sooner are the crumbs from St. This winsome story is illustrated throughout with Tomie dePaola's warm and sunny watercolors! 'dePaola does a splendid job of working this sparkling tale into the Strega Nona canon.' -Publishers WeeklyAvailable for purchase at:AmazonBarnes & NobleBooks A MillionHudson BooksellersIndieBoundPowell'sTargetWalmartAudible - Audiobook (Downloadable format)audiobooks.EVERYONE IN THE LITTLE VILLAGE IN CALABRIA, INCLUDING STREGA NONA, HAD BEEN BUSY IN THEIR KITCHENS AND AT THEIR TABLES SINCE THE MONTH OF DECEMBER BEGAN.įIRST IT WAS THE FESTIVAL OF ST. The tale begins with little Nona's birth on a dark and stormy night, and ends where the original Strega Nona picks up-with Strega Nona taking on the bumbling, knock-kneed Big Anthony as an apprentice. Tomie dePaola serves as 'biographer' to his delightful Italian sorceress, Strega Nona, in this beautifully drawn prequel.

Strega nona by tomie de paola