Tomie dePaola
Personal Information
Description
Thomas Anthony de Paola was born in Meriden, Connecticut. He became interested in art at an early age. After graduating from high school, he attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. In 1956, he graduated with his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He taught art at Newton College of the Sacred Heart from 1962 to 1966, then moved to California where he taught at San Francisco College for Women from 1967 to 1970. His first illustrated book, Sound, was published in 1965. In 1969, he received his Master of Fine Arts degree from California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. He relocated to New England and taught art at Chamberlayne Junior College in Boston from 1972 to 1973. He then became an associate professor, designer, and technical director in the Speech and Theater department at Colby-Sawyer College from 1973 to 1976. In 1976, he received the Caldecott Honor for Strega Nona (1976). In 1978 he left teaching to become a full-time author and illustrator, while still living in New London, New Hampshire. Tomi passed away in March, 2020.
Books
My mother is so smart
From her knowledge of when to change a diaper and how to make popsicles to her skills in driving a delivery truck and dancing the polka, a child sings the praises of a special family member.
Brava, Strega Nona!
Strega Nona shares the six ingredients for a magical life, illustrated with elaborate pop-ups. Also includes a few basic Italian words and phrases.
Tomie dePaola's More Mother Goose favorites
An illustrated collection of Mother Goose nursery rhymes, including some well-known and some less familiar ones.
I'm Still Scared
First-grader tomie depaola experiences uncertainty in the weeks following the attack on pearl Harbor, December 7, 19 1. what are the grown-ups talking quietly about at home and even at school? why does his class have to go to the spooky furnace room for an air raid drill? why does the family hang thick black curtains over the windows? tomie?s mother is there to comfort and explain the confusion, and tomie feels better. but he?s still scared.
Now One Foot, Now the Other
When his grandfather suffers a stroke, Bobby teaches him to walk, just as his grandfather had once taught him.
Things Will Never Be the Same
Author-illustrator Tomie De Paola describes his experiences at home and in school in 1941 when he was a boy.
Pascual and the Kitchen Angels
Pascual, a boy blessed by angels at his birth, receives divine help when the Franciscan monks make him their cook.
The New Barker in the House (Barkers: Level 1)
Twins Moffie and Morgie are excited when they hear that their family is adopting a three-year-old Hispanic boy.
What a Year
Tomie has an eventful first grade year with his sixth birthday party, his first Halloween trick-or-treating followed by Thanksgiving, his first Christmas pageant, and a late night New Year's celebration.
Marcos counts
Marcos, the youngest Barker, learns to count from one to ten Moffie, who says the numbers in English, and Marcos repeats them in Spanish.
Trouble in the Barkers' Class
When a new girl in the Barkers' class, Carole Anne, acts like a bully, the students try talking to her and ignoring her until Morgie finally discovers what is wrong and finds a way to fix it.
Adelita
After the death of her mother and father, Adelita is badly mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters until she finds her own true love at a grand fiesta.
Four Friends at Christmas
Mister Frog is usually asleep at Christmas time, but this year his good friends make sure that he has a wonderful holiday.
Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka
While his wife is away, a lazy man relies on a pooka to clean up the messes that he and his friends make.
Strega Nona Takes a Vacation
Strega Nona sends home gifts of candy and bubble bath while on vacation, but when Bambolona grabs the candy, Big Anthony is left with a lot of bubbles.
The holy twins
A fictionalized biography of Saints Benedict and Scholastica, twins who lived in sixth-century Italy. Their humanity rather than their saintliness is emphasized. Ages 4-9.
The Night of Las Posadas
At the annual celebration of Las Posadas in old Santa Fe, the husband and wife slated to play Mary and Joseph are delayed by car trouble, but a mysterious couple seems perfect for the part.
Hey diddle diddle & other Mother Goose rhymes
An illustrated selection of the traditional rhymes.
Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile
It's a new school year, and Bill and Pete are back in a new adventure. Their teacher, Ms. Ibis, is taking all the little crocodiles (and their toothbrushes) on a class trip to the Royal Museum. But who's that trying to steal the Sacred Eye of Isis? Can it be the Bad Guy? Can Bill and Pete save the day once more?