A Book Nook is long past due here at Lemon Drop Pie! I’ve written about Tomie dePaola before, as he is one of my favorite authors and illustrators. When I was teaching second grade, his book The Art Lesson was in our reading series. After reading The Art Lesson, my second graders would each write a letter to Mr. dePaola, and I would mail them to his publisher. A couple of weeks later, we would receive a class set of bookmarks and a personalized letter from Mr. dePaola. My students loved hearing back from a real, live author!
Tomie dePaola is still writing and still drawing, and he’s still connecting with children in the classroom. All you have to do is read Tomie’s blog, and you will see pictures drawn by children who love his books. (I was even mentioned once in Tomie’s blog — I have gushing book nerd potential.)
Through Tomie’s blog, I found a wonderful resource for parents: Barnes and Noble Storytime. During January, you can hear Tomie dePaola read his book, Strega Nona. Other months have featured authors such as Jan Brett (The Mitten) and Judy Viorst (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.) Just click “See More Storytime Videos” under the video of Strega Nona, and you can view other books read by the authors or a celebrity reader.
The girls have watched Strega Nona a couple of times now, and if you visit us, you just may hear someone saying “We must protect our town from the pasta!” in a dramatic voice. I would also be remiss if I did not mention the lastest honor Mr. dePaola has received: the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award! Congratulations, Mr. dePaola, from this gushing book nerd!
