Blog Post
10 things you might not have known about Tomie dePaola but should remember
Tracey at Rhyme and Reason Books • March 31, 2020
The children’s book world has lost one of its most prolific author/illustrators with the passing of Tomie dePaola, 85. You love his books, but how much did you know about him? Let’s review a few facts, starting with how to say his name.
1. His name is pronounced “TOM-mee da-POW-la.”
2. He illustrated and/or wrote more than 270 books.
He began his publishing career in 1965 as a children’s book illustrator and was still active in the field, with several books forthcoming in 2020 and 2021. That averages to a remarkable 4+ books a year.
3. Ever the artist, he said his favorite color was white
because all other colors looked good against it. Pick up any of his books, and you’ll see the high regard he held for white space.
4. Of all the characters he created, his favorite was Strega Nona,
a wise and humorous grandmother witch who lived in an Italian village and spent her time helping her fellow villagers solve their problems. The book Strega Nona
won a Caldecott Honor in 1976. She later appeared in several other stories and was featured in a musical and television program.
5. Many of his works were autobiographical.
Oliver Button is a Sissy
arose from his experiences being bullied as a child tap dancer, while Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs
was based on the deaths of his grandmother and great-grandmother. He considered this his favorite of his own books.
6. Despite being written by one of America’s most beloved children’s authors, two of his books were once banned:
Oliver Button is a Sissy
for being anti-sport and Strega Nona
for seeming to encourage magic.
7. He credited his family with his interest in imagery and storytelling,
especially his Irish grandfather, who always had a tale to tell, and his mother, who read to him daily from fairy tales, myths, and legends. She also took him to the movies frequently. He saw one of his favorite films, Disney’s Snow White,
with her at age four when it first ran in the theater.
8. He strongly believed picture-reading was a key first step to early literacy.
He felt the best picture books were those that a child could remember easily and retell over and over using the pictures. He said he was led to create his books because they were the type of books he would have liked to have had as a child.
9. As a child, his favorite book was Hitty Her First Hundred Years
by Rachel Feld.
It was the story of a 100-year-old doll in an antique shop recounting all the things she had seen as she accompanied her various owners on their childhood outings.
10. He lived his dream.
He first announced to his family that he wanted to make a living writing stories and illustrating books when he was four years old.
My favorite Tomie dePaola book is The Friendly Beasts, a beautifully illustrated Old English Christmas carol. I read it to my children all the time when they were small, and it brings back many memories. Tell me your favorite.
Rest in peace Tomie and thank you.
Copyright 2020 Rhyme and Reason Books
About the author: Tracey fell in love with old children's books when she was nine, and that was that. Her shop, Rhyme and Reason Books, sells vintage children's books and ephemera on Etsy for collectors, crafters, and decorators. As a writer, literacy instructor, and library volunteer, she donates a portion of every sale to children's literacy initiatives to foster the next generation of readers.
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