Tomie dePaola, the children’s author and illustrator who delighted generations with tales of Strega Nona, the kindly and helpful old witch in Italy, has died. He was 85.
In this photo taken Sunday Dec. 1, 2013, Tomie dePaola poses with his artwork in his studio in New London, N.H. The beloved children's author and illustrator has died at the age of 85. DePaola delighted generations with tales of Strega Nona, the kindly and helpful old witch in Italy. His literary agent says dePaola died Monday from surgery complications after taking a bad fall last week.
He worked on over 270 books in more than half a century of publishing, and nearly 25 million copies have been sold worldwide and his books have been translated into more than 20 languages. Reflecting on her popularity, dePaola told The Associated Press in 2013, “I think it’s because she’s like everybody’s grandmother. She’s cute, she’s not pretty, she’s kind of funny-looking, but she’s sweet, she’s understanding. And she’s a little saucy, she gets a little irritated every once in a while.”
“I remember laughing at the pictures of Big Anthony, the townspeople, and even cute little Strega Nona,” wrote one of his many fans in 2013, a woman who recalled her mother reading the book to her growing up. “She is ingrained in my childhood ... I hope to read Strega Nona to my kids one day.”“Tomie dePaola is masterful at creating seemingly simple stories that have surprising depth and reflect tremendous emotional honesty,” the committee chair Megan Schliesman said at the time.
DePaola wrote about doodling on his bedsheets and on his math work in second grade, telling his teacher he wasn’t going to be an “arithmetic-er.” “Even though I love doing my books and I try to be as creative as possible, there’s always a restriction,” he said in 2013. “I have to please other people, I have to please my art director, my editor, and then there’s all the public to please. Some of the books I’ve considered my best artistic personal accomplishments aren’t necessarily the books that appeal to children. And that’s OK.”
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