For the past two weeks we have discovered a favorite book series.....Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola, a classic Caldecott winner, that has been brought to life again in room 136. We have been following the adventures of Strega Nona, Big Anthony, and Bambolona while we focus on the comprehension (understanding while reading) skills "Making Predictions", "Noting Details", and "Problem Solving". The students have really taken a liking to the characters and we have even learned some Italian along the way.
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Strega, meaning "witch" and Nona, meaning "Grandmother" is a delightful tale of an old woman who lives in Calabria. She helps the towns people by making magical remedies to take away headaches and warts, to name a few. Big Anthony is her house boy who helps with the household chores such as milking the goats. The students were very surprised to hear that milk can also come from goats! Big Anthony always seems to get himself into some sort of trouble that only Strega Nona can fix. We are currently on our 4th book in the series. Check them out with your child the next time you visit the library! You'll have some laughs, see how engaged your child gets when reading the tales, and even pick up a few Italian phrases.....Buona lettura!
