When you hear the name Tomie dePaola, chances are you think of Strega Nona, or one of his many holidays stories, but dePaola has written and/or illustrated 269 books (as of 4/3/2018), including a number of autobiographical stories about his life in a large, loving Irish-Italian family.
Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs is the sweet story of 4-year old Tomie and his relationships with his grandmother who lives downstairs, and his 94-year old great-grandmother, who lives upstairs.
dePaola shows us the tender care given to great-grandma by grandma and the entire family - brushing and braiding her hair each day, helping her to sit in her chair to visit with Tommy each day, feeding her, visiting with her, taking family photos, showing her the love and respect that aging parents need and deserve.
When Nana Upstairs passes away, Tommy struggles to understand what that means. dePaola takes readers through this delicate territory in a gentle, simple manner. It's no wonder that children are drawn to him and his stories.
Tomie dePaola's illustrations are distinctive and appear to be simple. In Tomie dePaola: His Art and Stories, Trina Schart Hyman tells about her attempt to duplicate a "Tomie drawing", thinking it would take 10-20 minutes tops. Six hours and 38 ruined pieces of paper later, she realized, "That seemingly formulaic style, with its simple line, its folksy composition, and its childlike color, was a lot more complex and sophisticated than I bargained for - and almost impossible to duplicate in spirit."
Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs is available through Amazon.
Reading Rockets interview with Tomie dePaola
Tomie dePaola on why reading is important
Jim Henson Company video - Strega Nona tells Tomie dePaola a story
Meet Tomie dePaola
No comments:
Post a Comment