Thomas Anthony dePaola (1934-) Biography

(Tomie dePaola)

Personal

Surname pronounced "da-pow-la"; born 1934, in Meriden, CT; Education: Pratt Institute, B.F.A., 1956; California College of Arts and Crafts, M.F.A., 1969; Lone Mountain College, doctoral equivalency, 1970. Religion: Roman Catholic.

Addresses

office—c/o Author Mail, Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014.

Career

Author and illustrator of books for children. Professional artist and designer, and teacher of art, 1956—. Whitebird Books (imprint), G. P. Putnam's Sons, creative

Thomas Anthony dePaola

director. Newton Collge of the Sacred Heart, Newton, MA, instructor, 1962-63, assistant professor of art, 1963-66; San Francisco College for Women (now Lone Mountain College), San Francisco, CA, assistant professor of art, 1967-70; Chamberlayne Junior College, Boston, MA, instructor in art, 1972-73; Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH, associate professor, designer, and technical director in speech and theater department, writer and designer of sets and costumes for Children's Theatre Project, 1973-76; New England College, Henniker, NH, associate professor of art, 1976-78, artist-in-residence, 1978-79. Painter and muralist, with many of his works done for Catholic churches and monasteries in New England. Designer of greeting cards, posters, magazine and catalog covers, record album covers, and theater and nightclub sets. Workshop conductor; guest artist on Barney television program. Executive producer, Jim Henson's Telling Stories with Tomie dePaola, Hallmark Channel, beginning 2001. Member, national advisory council, Children's Theater Company of Minneapolis, MN, and member of board, Ballet of the Dolls Dance Company, Minneapolis. Exhibitions: One-man shows in Arizona, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont; work also exhibited at group shows in galleries, museums, libraries, and other venues in throughout the United States, Italy, and Japan, and included in private collections.

Member

Society of Children's Book Writers (member of board of directors), Authors Guild.

Honors Awards

Boston Art Directors' Club awards for typography and illustration, 1968; Child Study Association children's book of the year citations, 1968, for Poetry for Chuckles and Grins, 1971, for John Fisher's Magic Book, 1974, for David's Window and Charlie Needs a Cloak, and 1975, for Strega Nona and Good Morning to You, Valentine, 1986, for Strega Nona's Magic Lessons, Tattie's River Journey, Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose, and The Quilt Story, 1987, for Teeny Tiny and Tomie dePaola's Favorite Nursery Tales; Franklin Typographers Silver Award for poster design, 1969; American Institute of Graphic Arts exhibit of outstanding children's books inclusion, 1970, for The Journey of the Kiss, 1973, for Who Needs Holes?, and 1979, for Helga's Dowry; Friends of American Writers Award for best illustrator of a children's book, 1973, for Authorized Autumn Charts of the Upper Red Canoe River Country; Children's Book Showcase inclusion, 1973, for Authorized Autumn Charts of the Upper Red Canoe River Country, and 1975, for Charlie Needs a Cloak; Brooklyn Art Books for Children Award, Brooklyn Museum and Brooklyn Public Library, 1975, for Charlie Needs a Cloak, and 1977, 1978, and 1979, for Strega Nona; Caldecott Honor Book, 1976, and Nakamore Prize (Japan), 1978, both for Strega Nona; Chicago Book Clinic Award, 1979, for The Christmas Pageant; Children's Choice designation, International Reading Association/Children's Book Council (CBC), 1978, for Helga's Dowry, 1979, for The Popcorn Book, Pancakes for Breakfast, The Clown of God, Four Scary Stories, Jamie's Tiger, and Bill and Pete, 1980, for Big Anthony and the Magic Ring and Oliver Button Is a Sissy, 1982, for The Comic Adventures of Old Mother Hubbard and Her Dog, 1983, for Strega Nona's Magic Lessons, 1984 for The Carsick Zebra and Other Animal Riddles, and 1985, for The Mysterious Giant of Barletta; Garden State Children's Book Award for Younger Nonfiction, New Jersey Library Association, 1980, for The Quicksand Book; Golden Kite Award for Illustration, Society of Children's Book Writers, 1982, for Giorgio's Village, and 1983, for Marianna May and Nursey; Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book for Illustration, 1982, and Critici in Erba commendation, Bologna Biennale, 1983, both for The Friendly Beasts; Mary Had a Little Lamb chosen as a notable book, Association of Library Service to Children (American Library Association), 1984; The Clown of God selected a notable children's film, 1984; Sing, Pierrot, Sing selected a Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, National Council of Social Studies/CBC, 1984, and The Mysterious Giant of Barletta, 1985; Bookbuilders West Book Show award, 1985, for Miracle on 34th Street; Horn Book Honor List citation, 1986, for Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose; Golden Kite Honor Book for Illustration, 1987, for What the Mailman Brought; American nominee for Hans Christian Andersen Award illustration medal, International Board on Books for Young People, 1990; New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award, 1999; Newbury Honor Award, 2000, for Twenty-six Fairmont Ave; and Jo Osborne Award for Humor, Ohio Library Foundation, 2003. Awards for body of work include Kerlan Award, University of Minnesota, 1981; Regina Medal, Catholic Library Association, 1983; David McCord Children's Literature citation, 1986; Smithson Medal, 1990; Helen Keating Ott Award, 1993; University of Southern Mississippi Medallion, 1995; Milner Award, Atlanta Fulton Public Library, 1996; Keene State College Children's Literature Festival Award, 1998; I Migliori Award, Pirandello Lyceum Institute of Italian-American Studies, 2000; Colby-Sawyer College Town Award, 2000; Jeremiah Ludington Award, 2000; Granite State Award, Plymouth State College, 2001; and New Hampshire Writers' Project Lifetime Achievement Award, 2003. Honorary degrees from Colby-Sawyer College, 1985, Saint Anselm College, 1994, Notre Dame College, 1996, Emerson College, and University of Connecticut, both 1999, Georgetown University, 2003, and New England College, 2003.

Writings

FOR CHILDREN; SELF-ILLUSTRATED; UNDER NAME TOMIE dEPAOLA

The Wonderful Dragon of Timlin, Bobbs-Merrill, 1966.

Fight the Night, Lippincott (Philadelphia, PA), 1968.

Joe and the Snow, Hawthorn, 1968.

Parker Pig, Esquire, Hawthorn, 1969.

The Journey of the Kiss, Hawthorn, 1970.

The Monsters' Ball, Hawthorn, 1970.

(Reteller) The Wind and the Sun, Ginn, 1972, reprinted, Silver Press, 1995.

Andy, That's My Name, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1973.

Charlie Needs a Cloak, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1973.

The Unicorn and the Moon, Ginn, 1973, reprinted, Silver Press, 1995.

The Cloud Book: Word and Pictures, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1975.

Michael Bird-Boy, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1975.

Things to Make and Do for Valentine's Day, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1976.

When Everyone Was Fast Asleep, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1976.

Four Stories for Four Seasons, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1977.

Helga's Dowry: A Troll Love Story, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1977.

The Quicksand Book, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1977.

The Christmas Pageant, Winston, 1978, published as The Christmas Pageant Cutout Book, 1980.

(Reteller) The Clown of God: An Old Story, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1978.

Pancakes for Breakfast, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1978.

The Popcorn Book, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1978.

Flicks, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1979.

The Kids' Cat Book, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1979.

Songs of the Fog Maiden, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1979.

The Family Christmas Tree Book, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1980.

The Knight and the Dragon, Putnam (New York, NY), 1980.

The Lady of Guadalupe, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1980.

(Reteller) The Legend of the Old Befana: An Italian Christmas Story, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1980.

(Reteller) The Prince of the Dolomites: An Old Italian Tale, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1980.

The Comic Adventures of Old Mother Hubbard and Her Dog, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1981.

(Reteller) Fin M'Coul, the Giant of Knockmany Hill, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1981.

The Friendly Beasts: An Old English Christmas Carol, Putnam (New York, NY), 1981.

The Hunter and the Animals: A Wordless Picture Book, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1981.

Francis, the Poor Man of Assisi, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1982.

Giorgio's Village: A Pop-up Book, Putnam (New York, NY), 1982.

(Reteller) The Legend of the Bluebonnet: An Old Tale of Texas, Putnam (New York, NY), 1983.

Marianna May and Nursey, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1983.

(Reteller) Noah and the Ark, Winston, 1983.

Sing, Pierrot, Sing: A Picture Book in Mime, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1983.

(Reteller) The Story of the Three Wise Kings, Putnam (New York, NY), 1983.

(Reteller) David and Goliath, Winston, 1984.

(Reteller) Esther Saves Her People, Winston, 1984.

The First Christmas: A Festive Pop-Up Book, Putnam (New York, NY), 1984.

(Reteller) The Mysterious Giant of Barletta: An Italian Folktale, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1984.

Tomie dePaola's Country Farm, Putnam (New York, NY), 1984.

Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose Story Streamers, Putnam (New York, NY), 1984.

Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose (also see below), Putnam (New York, NY), 1985, selections published as Tomi dePaola's Mother Goose Favorites, Grosset (New York, NY), 2000.

(Reteller) Queen Esther, Winston, 1986, revised edition, Harper (New York, NY), 1987.

Tomie dePaola's Favorite Nursery Tales, Putnam, 1986.

An Early American Christmas, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1987.

(Adapter) The Miracles of Jesus, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1987.

(Adapter) The Parables of Jesus, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1987.

Tomie dePaola's Book of Christmas Carols, Putnam (New York, NY), 1987.

Tomie dePaola's Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling and Other Poems and Stories from Mother Goose (selections from Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose), Methuen (London, England), 1987.

Tomie dePaola's Three Little Kittens and Other Poems and Songs from Mother Goose (selections from Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose), Methuen (London, England), 1987.

Baby's First Christmas, Putnam (New York, NY), 1988.

Hey Diddle Diddle: And Other Mother Goose Rhymes (selections from Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose), Putnam (New York, NY), 1988.

Tomie dePaola's Book of Poems, Putnam (New York, NY), 1988, selections published as Tomi dePaola's Rhyme Time, Grosset (New York, NY), 2000.

The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush, Putnam (New York, NY), 1988.

Bob and Bobby, Puffin (London, England), 1988.

Haircuts for the Woolseys, Putnam (New York, NY), 1989.

My First Chanukah, Putnam (New York, NY), 1989.

Tony's Bread: An Italian Folktale, Putnam (New York, NY), 1989.

Too Many Hopkins, Putnam (New York, NY), 1989.

Little Grunt and the Big Egg: A Prehistoric Fairy Tale, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1990.

(Reteller) Tomie dePaola's Book of Bible Stories, Putnam/Zondervan (New York, NY), 1990, selections published as Tomie dePaola's Book of the Old Testament, Putnam (New York, NY), 1995.

My First Easter, Putnam (New York, NY), 1991.

My First Passover, Putnam (New York, NY), 1991.

My First Halloween, Putnam (New York, NY), 1991.

Bonjour, Mr. Satie, Putnam (New York, NY), 1991.

Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato: An Irish Folktale, Putnam (New York, NY), 1992.

Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1992.

My First Thanksgiving, Putnam (New York, NY), 1992.

Jingle, the Christmas Clown, Putnam (New York, NY), 1992.

(With others) The Big Book for Our Planet, Dutton (New York, NY), 1993.

Christopher: The Holy Giant, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1994.

The Legend of the Poinsettia, Putnam (New York, NY), 1994.

Kit and Kat, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1994.

Country Angel, Country Christmas, Putnam (New York, NY), 1995.

Mary: The Mother of Jesus, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1995.

The Bubble Factory, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1996.

Get Dressed, Santa!, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1996.

Days of the Blackbird: A Tale of Northern Italy, Putnam (New York, NY), 1997.

Tomie's Little Mother Goose Board Book, Putnam (New York, NY), 1997.

Tomie dePaola's Make Your Own Christmas Cards, Price Stern Sloan (New York, NY), 1998.

The Night of las Posadas, Putnam (New York, NY), 1999.

Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka, Putnam (New York, NY), 2000.

Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story, Putnam (New York, NY), 2002.

Four Friends at Christmas, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

Tomie's Little Christmas Pageant, Putnam (New York, NY), 2002.

Four Friends in Summer, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

Four Friends in Autumn, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2004.

Guess Who's Coming to Santa's for Dinner?, Putnam (New York, NY), 2004.

Pascual and the Kitchen Angels, Putnam (New York, NY), 2004.

Tomie's Little Book of Poems, Putnam (New York, NY), 2004.

Stagestruck, Putnam (New York, NY), 2005.

DePaola's books have been published in many countries, including Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, and Sweden.

SELF-ILLUSTRATED; AUTOBIOGRAPHY; UNDER NAME TOMIE dEPAOLA

Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs, Putnam (New York, NY), 1973, with full-color illustrations, 1998.

Watch out for the Chicken Feet in Your Soup, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1974.

Oliver Button Is a Sissy, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1979.

Now One Foot, Now the Other, Putnam (New York, NY), 1981.

The Art Lesson, Putnam (New York, NY), 1989.

Tom, Putnam (New York, NY), 1993.

The Baby Sister, Putnam (New York, NY), 1996.

Twenty-six Fairmount Avenue (chapter book; "Twenty-six Fairmount Avenue" series), Putnam (New York, NY), 1999.

Here We All Are (chapter book; "Twenty-six Fairmount Avenue" series), Putnam (New York, NY), 2000.

On My Way (chapter book; "Twenty-six Fairmount Avenue" series), Putnam (New York, NY), 2001.

What a Year (chapter book; "Twenty-six Fairmount Avenue" series), Putnam (New York, NY), 2002.

Things Will Never Be the Same (chapter book; "Twenty-six Fairmount Avenue" series), Putnam (New York, NY), 2003.

SELF-ILLUSTRATED; "STREGA NONA" SERIES; UNDER NAME TOMIE dEPAOLA

Strega Nona: An Old Tale, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1975, published as The Magic Pasta Pot, Hutchinson (London, England), 1979, adapted as Strega Nona Classic Board Book, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1997.

Big Anthony and the Magic Ring, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1979.

Strega Nona's Magic Lessons, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1982.

Merry Christmas, Strega Nona, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1986.

Strega Nona Meets Her Match, Putnam (New York, NY), 1993.

Strega Nona: Her Story, Putnam (New York, NY), 1996.

Big Anthony: His Story, Putnam (New York, NY), 1998.

Strega Nona Takes a Vacation, Putnam (New York, NY), 2000.

"BILL AND PETE" SERIES; UNDER NAME TOMIE dEPAOLA

Bill and Pete, Putnam (New York, NY), 1978.

Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile, Putnam (New York, NY), 1987.

Bill and Pete to the Rescue, Putnam (New York, NY), 1998.

"KITTEN KIDS" SERIES; BOARD BOOKS; UNDER NAME TOMIE dEPAOLA

Pajamas for Kit, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1986.

Katie and Kit at the Beach, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1986.

Katie's Good Idea, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1986.

Katie, Kit, and Cousin Tom, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1986.

Tomie dePaola's Kitten Kids and the Big Camp-Out, D& R Animation, 1988.

Tomie dePaola's Kitten Kids and the Haunted House, D& R Animation, 1988.

Tomie dePaola's Kitten Kids and the Missing Dinosaur, D& R Animation, 1988.

Tomie dePaola's Kitten Kids and the Treasure Hunt, D& R Animation, 1988.

SELF-ILLUSTRATED; "BARKER BUNCH" SERIES; UNDER NAME TOMIE dEPAOLA

Meet the Barkers: Morgan and Moffat Go to School, Putnam (New York, NY), 2001.

Hide and Seek All Week, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2001.

Boss for a Day, Grosset (New York, NY), 2002.

A New Barker in the House, Putnam (New York, NY), 2002.

T-Rex Is Missing!, Grosset (New York, NY), 2002.

Marcos Counts: One, Two, Three ("Barker Twins" book), Putnam (New York, NY), 2003.

Marcos: Red, Yellow, Blue ("Barker Twins" book), Putnam (New York, NY), 2003.

Trouble in the Barkers' Class, Putnam (New York, NY), 2003.

ILLUSTRATOR; UNDER NAME TOMIE dEPAOLA

Lisa Miller (pseudonym of Bernice Kohn Hunt) Sound, Coward (New York, NY), 1965.

Pura Belpre, The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales, Lippincott (Philadelphia, PA), 1965.

Lisa Miller, Wheels, Coward (New York, NY), 1965.

Jeanne B. Hardendorff, editor, Tricky Peik and Other Picture Tales, Lippincott (Philadelphia, PA), 1967.

Joan M. Lexau, Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers, Lippincott (Philadelphia, PA), 1967.

Melvin L. Alexenberg, Sound Science, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1968.

James A. Eichner, The Cabinet of the President of the United States, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1968.

Leland B. Jacobs, compiler, Poetry for Chuckles and Grins, Garrard, 1968.

Melvin L. Alexenberg, Light and Sight, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1969.

Robert Bly, The Morning Glory, Kayak, 1969.

Sam and Beryl Epstein, Take This Hammer, Hawthorn, 1969.

Mary C. Jane, The Rocking-Chair Ghost, Lippincott (Philadelphia, PA), 1969.

Nina Schneider, Hercules, the Gentle Giant, Hawthorn, 1969.

Eleanor Boylan, How to Be a Puppeteer, McCall, 1970.

Duncan Emrich, editor, The Folklore of Love and Courtship, American Heritage Press, 1970.

Duncan Emrich, editor, The Folklore of Weddings and Marriage, American Heritage Press, 1970.

Sam and Beryl Epstein, Who Needs Holes?, Hawthorn, 1970.

Barbara Rinkoff, Rutherford T. Finds 21B, Putnam (New York, NY), 1970.

Philip Balestrino, Hot as an Ice Cube, Crowell (New York, NY), 1971.

Sam and Beryl Epstein, Pick It Up, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1971.

John Fisher, John Fisher's Magic Book, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1971.

William Wise, Monsters of the Middle Ages, Putnam (New York, NY), 1971.

Peter Zachary Cohen, Authorized Autumn Charts of the Upper Red Canoe River Country, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1972, revised edition, Silver Press, 1995.

Sibyl Hancock, Mario's Mystery Machine, Putnam (New York, NY), 1972.

Jean Rosenbaum and Lutie McAuliff, What Is Fear? An Introduction to Feelings, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1972.

Rubie Saunders, The Franklin Watts Concise Guide to Babysitting, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1972, published as Baby-Sitting: For Fun and Profit, Archway, 1979.

Sam and Beryl Epstein, Hold Everything, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1973.

Sam and Beryl Epstein, Look in the Mirror, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1973.

Kathryn F. Ernst, Danny and His Thumb, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1973.

Valerie Pitt, Let's Find out about Communications, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1973.

Charles Keller and Richard Baker, compilers, The Starspangled Banana and Other Revolutionary Riddles, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1974.

Alice Low, David's Window, Putnam (New York, NY), 1974.

Mary Calhoun, Old Man Whickutt's Donkey, Parents' Magazine Press, 1975.

Norma Farber, This Is the Ambulance Leaving the Zoo, Dutton (New York, NY), 1975.

Lee Bennett Hopkins, compiler, Good Morning to You, Valentine (poems), Harcourt (New York, NY), 1975.

Martha and Charles Shapp, Let's Find out about Houses, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1975.

Eleanor Coerr, The Mixed-up Mystery Smell, Putnam (New York, NY), 1976.

John Graham, I Love You, Mouse, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1976.

Bernice Kohn Hunt, The Whatchamacallit Book, Putnam (New York, NY), 1976.

Steven Kroll, The Tyrannosaurus Game, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1976.

Martha and Charles Shapp, Let's Find out about Summer, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1976.

Barbara Williams, If He's My Brother, Harvey House, 1976.

Lee Bennett Hopkins, compiler, Beat the Drum: Independence Day Has Come (poems), Harcourt (New York, NY), 1977.

Daniel O'Connor, Images of Jesus, Winston, 1977.

Belong, Winston, 1977.

Journey, Winston, 1977.

(With others) Norma Farber, Six Impossible Things before Breakfast, Addison-Wesley, 1977.

Jean Fritz, Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?, Coward (New York, NY), 1977.

Patricia Lee Gauch, Once upon a Dinkelsbuehl, Putnam (New York, NY), 1977.

Tony Johnston, Odd Jobs, Putnam (New York, NY), 1977, published as The Dog Wash, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1977.

Steven Kroll, Santa's Crash-Bang Christmas, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1977.

Stephen Mooser, The Ghost with the Halloween Hiccups, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1977.

Annabelle Prager, The Surprise Party, Pantheon (New York, NY), 1977.

Malcolm E. Weiss, Solomon Grundy, Born on Oneday: A Finite Arithmetic Puzzle, Crowell (New York, NY), 1977.

Nancy Willard, Simple Pictures Are Best, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1977.

Jane Yolen, The Giants' Farm, Seabury Press (New York, NY), 1977.

Sue Alexander, Marc, the Magnificent, Pantheon (New York, NY), 1978.

William Cole, compiler, Oh, Such Foolishness! (poems), Lippincott (Philadelphia, PA), 1978.

Tony Johnston, Four Scary Stories, Putnam (New York, NY), 1978.

Steven Kroll, Fat Magic, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1978.

Naomi Panush Salus, My Daddy's Moustache, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1978.

Jan Wahl, Jamie's Tiger, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1978.

The Cat on the Dovrefell: A Christmas Tale, translated from the Norse by George Webbe Dasent, Putnam (New York, NY), 1979.

Lee Bennett Hopkins, compiler, Easter Buds Are Springing: Poems for Easter, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1979.

Anne Rose, The Triumphs of Fuzzy Fogtop, Dial (New York, NY), 1979.

Daisy Wallace, compiler, Ghost Poems, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1979.

Jane Yolen, The Giants Go Camping, Seabury Press (New York, NY), 1979.

Patricia Lee Gauch, adapter, The Little Friar Who Flew, Putnam (New York, NY), 1980.

Patricia MacLachlan, Moon, Stars, Frogs, and Friends, Pantheon (New York, NY), 1980.

Clement Clarke Moore, The Night before Christmas, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1980.

Daniel M. Pinkwater, The Wuggie Norple Story, Four Winds Press (New York, NY), 1980.

Pauline Watson, The Walking Coat, Walker (New York, NY), 1980.

Malcolm Hall, Edward, Benjamin, and Butter, Coward (New York, NY), 1981.

Michael Jennings, Robin Goodfellow and the Giant Dwarf, McGraw (New York, NY), 1981.

Stephen Mooser, Funnyman's First Case, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1981.

Annabelle Prager, The Spooky Halloween Party, Pantheon (New York, NY), 1981.

Jean Fritz, adapter, The Good Giants and the Bad Pukwudgies, Putnam (New York, NY), 1982.

Tony Johnston, Odd Jobs and Friends, Putnam (New York, NY), 1982.

Ann McGovern, Nicholas Bentley Stoningpot III, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1982.

David A. Adler, The Carsick Zebra and Other Animal Riddles, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1983.

Tony Johnston, The Vanishing Pumpkin, Putnam (New York, NY), 1983.

Shirley Rousseau Murphy, Tattie's River Journey, Dial (New York, NY), 1983.

Valentine Davies, Miracle on 34th Street, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1984.

Sarah Josepha Hale, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1984.

Stephen Mooser, Funnyman and the Penny Dodo, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1984.

Tony Johnston, The Quilt Story, Putnam (New York, NY), 1985.

(With others) Hans Christian Andersen, The Flying Trunk and Other Stories, adapted by Naomi Lewis, Andersen Press (London, England), 1986.

Jill Bennett, adapter, Teeny Tiny, Putnam (New York, NY), 1986.

Thomas Yeomans, For Every Child a Star: A Christmas Story, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1986.

Sanna Anderson Baker, Who's a Friend of the Water-Spurting Whale?, Cook, 1987.

Carolyn Craven, What the Mailman Brought, Putnam (New York, NY), 1987.

Jean Fritz, Shh! We're Writing the Constitution, Putnam (New York, NY), 1987.

Nancy Willard, The Mountains of Quilt, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1987.

Elizabeth Winthrop, Maggie and the Monster, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1987.

Caryll Houselander, Petook: An Easter Story, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1988.

Tony Johnston, Pages of Music, Putnam (New York, NY), 1988.

Cindy Ward, Cookie's Week, Putnam (New York, NY), 1988.

Tony Johnston, adapter, The Badger and the Magic Fan: A Japanese Folktale, Putnam (New York, NY), 1990.

Jane Yolen, Hark! A Christmas Sampler, Putnam (New York, NY), 1991.

(With others) For Our Children (song lyrics), Disney Press, 1991.

Jean Fritz, The Great Adventure of Christopher Columbus: A Pop-up Book, Putnam (New York, NY), 1992.

Tony Johnston, The Tale of Rabbit and Coyote, Putnam (New York, NY), 1994.

Karen Pandell, I Love You, Sun; I Love You, Moon, Putnam (New York, NY), 1994.

Tony Johnston, Alice Nizzy Nazzy: The Witch of Santa Fe, Putnam (New York, NY), 1995.

Mary Ann Esposito, Celebrations Italian Style, Hearst, 1995.

Antonio H. Madrigal, adapter, The Eagle and the Rainbow: Timeless Tales from Mexico, Putnam (New York, NY), 1997.

Jane O'Connor, Benny's Big Bubble, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1997.

Arnold L. Shapiro, Mice Squeak, We Speak (poem), Putnam (New York, NY), 1997.

Antonio H. Madrigal, Erandi's Braids, Putnam (New York, NY), 1999.

Kathleen Norris, The Holy Twins: Benedict and Scholastica, Putnam (New York, NY), 2001.

Margaret Fry, Frida Kahlo: The Artist Who Painted Herself, Grosset (New York, NY), 2003.

Annabelle Prager, The Surprise Party, Random House (New York, NY), 2003.

OTHER; UNDER NAME TOMIE dEPAOLA

(And director and designer) A Rainbow Christmas (puppet play), produced in Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1971.

Criss-Cross, Applesauce, illustrated by B. A. King and his children, Addison House, 1979.

(With others) Once upon a Time: Celebrating the Magic of Children's Books in Honor of the Twentieth Anniversary of Reading Is Fundamental, Putnam (New York, NY), 1986.

(With others) The G.O.S.H. ABC Book, Aurum Books for Children (England), 1988.

(With others) To Ride a Butterfly, Bantam (New York, NY), 1991.

(Author of foreword) Steve Bialostok, Raising Readers: Helping Your Child to Literacy Penguin (New York, NY), 1992.

(Reteller) The Legend of the Persian Carpet, illustrated by Claire Ewart, Putnam (New York, NY), 1993.

DePaola's papers are housed in permanent collections at the Kerlan Collection, University of Minnesota, and the Osborne Collection, Toronto, Canada.

Adaptations

The Wind and the Sun was released as a sound filmstrip by Xerox Films/Lumin Films, 1973; Andy was released as a sound filmstrip by Random House, 1977; Charlie Needs a Cloak was released as a filmstrip with cassette, 1977, and as an audiocassette, 1990, both by Weston Woods; Strega Nona was released as a filmstrip with cassette by Weston Woods, 1978, was released on videocassette by OC Studios, 1985, and was adapted into a musical by Dennis Rosa (based on Strega Nona, Big Anthony and the Magic Ring, and Strega Nona's Magic Lessons) produced in Minneapolis, MN, 1987; Oliver Button Is a Sissy was released as a filmstrip by Imperial Education Resources, 1980; The Clown of God was adapted into a play by Thomas Olson and produced in Minneapolis, 1981, and into a motion picture, directed by Gary McGivney, Weston Woods, 1982; Pancakes for Breakfast was made into a filmstrip by Weston Woods, 1982; Strega Nona's Magic Lessons and Other Stories was released on record and cassette by Caedmon, 1984, read by Tammy Grimes; Big Anthony and Helga's Dowry was produced as a radio play by the Children's Radio Theatre, 1984; The Vanishing Pumpkin was released as a filmstrip with cassette by Random House, 1984; The Legend of the Bluebonnet: An Old Tale of Texas was released as a filmstrip directed by Forest Ann Miner, Listening Library, 1984, and as a filmstrip with cassette by Random House, 1985; Now One Foot, Then the Other was released as a video recording directed by Don MacDonald, FilmFair Communications, 1985; Sing, Pierrot, Sing was released as a filmstrip by Random House, 1985; The Mysterious Giant of Barletta was released on cassette by Random House, 1985; Mary Had a Little Lamb was released as a filmstrip with cassette by Weston Woods, 1985; The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush was released as a filmstrip with cassette by Listening Library, 1988; Tomie dePaola's Christmas Carols was released on cassette by Listening Library, 1988; Merry Christmas, Strega Nona was released on cassette by Listening Library, 1988, and was adapted as a play by T. Olson and produced in Minneapolis, 1988; Mary Had a Little Lamb was released on audio cassette by Live Oak Media, 1989; Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose was adapted into a play by Constance Congdon and produced in Minneapolis, 1990; Return to the Magic Library: A Giant Tale was released as a video recording by TVOntario, 1990; Big Anthony's Mixed-up Magic was released as a computer file by Putnam New Media, 1993; Strega Nona was released on audio cassette by Weston Woods, 1993; the "Twenty-six Fair-mount Avenue" series was recorded as an audiobook by Listening Library, 2002; the "Barker Bunch" characters were adapted as a book series by Ann Hackney and published by Grosset beginning 2004. Charlie Needs a Cloak has been adapted into braille. The Art Lesson was released on audio cassette, read by dePaola, Listening Library. Filmstrips and videocassettes of Let's Find out about Houses, Let's Find out about Summer, The Surprise Party, The Unicorn and the Sun, Shh! We're Writing the Constitution, and Tattie's River Journey have been produced. Spin-off products based on dePaola's books, such as the Strega Nona doll released by Simon & Schuster in 1995, have also been issued.

Sidelights

Described as "one of the great masters of the picture book" by Marcus Crouch in Junior Bookshelf and considered one of the twentieth century's major children's book illustrators, Thomas Anthony dePaola is perhaps the most prolific and popular creator of books for children in the elementary grades. Author and/or illustrator of more than two hundred books as well as a professional artist, designer, and art teacher, dePaola is recognized as an imaginative, versatile artist and writer whose works reflect his personal background and interests as well as his affection for and understanding of his audience. DePaola writes and illustrates autobiographical and semi-autobiographical picture books and stories; informational and concept books; original stories, including folktale and fairy tale variants; and retellings that often draw on his Italian and Irish heritage and his background as both a Roman Catholic and a resident of New England and the American West. His works center on subjects that have both personal relevance and child appeal: holidays, food, animals, family relationships, Bible stories and characters, Mother Goose rhymes, folk and fairy tales, and legends, among others. In addition to traditional picture books, dePaola is the creator of well-received wordless picture books, pop-up books, and board books.

DePaola's artistic style reflects his interest in pre-Renaissance Italian art and folk art, as well as films and the theater. His stylized illustrations are easy to recognize, with their cats, birds, hearts, flowers, and tousle-haired, round-cheeked children, and he sometimes sets his illustrations within decorative borders composed of doorways, windows, and other frames. He uses a variety of mediums, including pen and ink, charcoal pencil, acrylic paint, colored pencil, and etching. In addition to illustrating his own works, he has contributed pictures for books by such authors as Jean Fritz, Clement Clarke Moore, Norma Farber, Lee Bennett Hopkins, Tony Johnston, Nancy Willard, Jan Wahl, Jane Yolen, William Cole, Patricia MacLachlan, Steven Kroll, Patricia Lee Gauch, Robert Bly, Mary Calhoun, Daniel M. Pink-water, Sarah Josepha Hale, and Sam and Beryl Epstein.

As a writer, dePaola uses a straightforward, direct prose style that includes clever wordplay and smatterings of foreign phrases. Although many of his books are humorous and whimsical, he often addresses serious themes, such as family bonds, spirituality, disability and death, personal courage, respect for the environment, and valuing each person's uniqueness. While his texts have sometimes been criticized as simplistic, dePaola is generally viewed as a writer and artist of uncommon talent who is, in the words of a Publishers Weekly reviewer, "as original as he is prolific."

DePaola was born in Meriden, Connecticut, to a father of Italian descent and a mother of Irish descent. Speaking of his father, Joseph, who worked as a barber before becoming a salesman and union official, dePaola once told Something about the Author (SATA), "People have an image of Italians being robust and loud. My father was just the opposite. He was a quiet and thoughtful man who was loads of fun and loved to cook." His mother Florence read aloud to Tomie and his older brother every night; dePaola recalled that this ritual "had a lot to do with my decision to become an artist. She would read the old fairy tales and legends, especially during the war, when my father was working the graveyard shift at a war plant job."

From the age of four, dePaola knew that he wanted to become an artist, recalling in the Fifth Book of Junior Authors and Illustrators: "By second grade, I was considered the 'best artist' by my teachers and classmates," a designation he held throughout his school years. As he recalled to SATA, the Christmas he was nine years old was one of his most memorable: "All my presents were art supplies: paints, brushes, colored pencils, all sorts of instruction books, watercolors, and even an easel." In sixth grade, dePaola began writing poetry in addition to continuing his art. In 1952, he entered New York's Pratt Institute, having earned a scholarship to the prestigious art school.

At Pratt, dePaola studied drawing, design, and painting and discovered such artists as Matisse and Picasso; he also developed a strong appreciation for religious artists Fra Angelico, Giotto, and Botticelli as well as for folk art. In addition to taking classes, he went to art galleries and fell in love with Greenwich Village. In 1955, he won another scholarship, this time to the Skowhegan School of Painting and Illustration in Maine. There he studied with artist Ben Shahn, who, he explained to SATA, "probably had the most impact on me of any of the teachers I had. He told me that being an artist was more than the kind of things you do. 'It's the way you live your life,' he said. I've never forgotten that."

After graduating from Pratt in 1956, dePaola spent six months in a small Benedictine monastery in Vermont, where he continued to practice his art. After returning to secular life, he began his career as a professional artist and designer and worked in summer theater. In 1962, he began teaching art and theater at the university and junior-college levels, a career he combined with his painting and illustration for the next seventeen years. Two years later, he illustrated his first book, Lisa Miller's Sound.

In 1966, dePaola wrote and illustrated his first book, The Wonderful Dragon of Timlin, a picture book about a young princess, a page, and a pink dragon with a talent for breathing fire. Writing in School Library Journal, Ann Currah predicted that "Little girls who adore dragons and princesses will probably enjoy this," while Kenneth Marantz in the Chicago Tribune Books called the story "a tale a bit above ordinary." For the next six years, dePaola continued to create picture books featuring child and animal characters, illustrate books of other authors, and teach. He also earned his master's degree from the California College of Arts and Crafts and a doctoral equivalency from Lone Mountain College.

In 1971, dePaola returned to the east coast, settling in a small town in New Hampshire. Two years later he published the first of his autobiographical books, Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs. The author's personal favorite, this picture book is based on dePaola's relatives on his father's side. It features four-year-old Tommy, Tommy's great-grandmother, and Tommy's grandmother, who all live in the same house—great-grandmother upstairs and grandmother downstairs. Nana Upstairs is bedridden and when she passes away Tommy sees a shooting star; his parents tell him that the star may be Nana Upstairs sending him a kiss. Later, Nana Downstairs also dies. Reviewing the book for the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Zena Sutherland called Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs commendable as a story "for very young children that shows the love between a child and a grandparent and pictures the child's adjustment to death."

DePaola's 1979 picture book, Oliver Button Is a Sissy, is also based on the author's life. Oliver, who enjoys drawing, reading, and walking in the woods rather than playing sports, is teased and criticized. However, after he shows talent as a tap dancer, his schoolmates change the graffiti that read "Oliver Button Is a Sissy" to "Oliver Button Is a Star." Writing in School Library Journal, Marilyn R. Singer called Oliver Button "an attractive little book that might offer reassurance to those readers who will identify with Oliver, as well as good counsel for their parents and teachers." Writing in the New York Times Book Review, Natalie Babbitt noted that Oliver Button Is a Sissy "is a big and difficult story compressed into a small and simple story" that "presents a warm and positive picture of the power of love." With Now One Foot, Now the Other, a book that is based loosely on his family's background, dePaola depicts how young Bobby helps his grandfather to walk after a stroke. Comparing the book to Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs, Sutherland dubbed it "a loving testament to the special bond that can exist between a child and a grandparent."

With 1993's Tom, dePaola recreates his close relationship with the paternal grandfather for whom he is named. Tom and Tommy are playful partners in crime; their boisterous laughter often causes Nana to banish them outside or to the cellar. Tom, a butcher, teaches Tommy to manipulate newly severed chicken feet; when Tommy takes them to school, he scares the other students and is sent to the principal's office. Undaunted, Tom winks at his grandson and vows to find more adventures for them to share. Writing in Booklist, Deborah Abbott predicted that "Youngsters will bask in the delicious conspiracy between grandfather and grandson," while Horn Book critic Hanna B. Zeiger added: "With gentle humor and his usual mastery of line and composition, dePaola conveys the strong bond of affection between Tom and Tommy."

DePaola is perhaps best known for the series of picture books he has written about Strega Nona—Italian for "Grandmother Witch"—and her hapless helper Big Anthony, who live in a small village in Renaissance Calabria, Italy. The first book of the series, Strega Nona: An Old Tale, revolves around a magic cooking pot owned by the title character; the pot keeps on producing pasta until three kisses are blown to turn it off. When curious Big Anthony begins pasta production without knowing how to stop the pot, he fills the village with pasta until Strega Nona comes in to save the day. For his punishment, Big Anthony has to eat all of the pasta in the town. Writing in Horn Book, Anita Silvey claimed that dePaola "has given new vitality to the magic cooking pot theme." Sutherland predicted in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books that "children will probably enjoy" the book's humorous ending.

Strega Nona: Her Story is a prequel to the first book about the wise witch. The story takes young readers from Nona's birth through her education as a village strega by her Grandma Concetta, including instruction on the secret ingredient: lots of love. When Concetta retires, she gives her practice, including her magic pasta pot, to her granddaughter; the story ends with the arrival of Big Anthony on Strega Nona's doorstep. Writing in School Library Journal, Karen MacDonald predicted: "Children will find many of the paintings hilarious." With Big Anthony: His Story, dePaola provides a companion piece to Strega Nona: Her Story and depicts the accident-prone but well-meaning Anthony from infancy—when he spills holy water all over himself and everyone else at his christening—to his arrival at Strega Nona's door. Writing in School Library Journal, Sue Sherif concluded that "Big Anthony and Strega Nona certainly qualify as celebrities in the realm of picture books, and this latest installment will bring smiles to the faces of their young fans."

The adventures of the benevolent witch Strega Nona and the hapless Big Anthony continue in Big Anthony and the Magic Ring, wherein the teenage farm boy steals Strega Nona's magic ring and is transformed into the village ladies's man; however, when the local women become overly amorous, Anthony must be rescued by Strega Nona. In Strega Nona's Magic Lessons, Big Anthony disguises himself as a girl in order to become Strega Nona's apprentice. Dismayed when he thinks one of his spells has turned his teacher into a frog, Anthony promises to swear off magic before Strega Nona—who was simply in hiding—reappears. In Merry Christmas, Strega Nona, Anthony loses the shopping list for the Christmas feast Strega Nona is planning; since Christmas is the only time that Nona does not use her spells and potions, there is no way for her to prepare a last-minute feast. And in Strega Nona Takes a Vacation the grandmotherly Italian witch leaves for the seaside, while assistants Big Anthony and Bambolona attempt to keep things aright at home. Praising the "breezy" text, "peppered with Italian words," a Publishers Weekly contributor also commended "dePaola's sunny, airy" illustrations which "demonstrate his fondness for these favorite characters and the old-world setting."

Craighton Hippenhammer, reviewing Strega Nona's Magic Lessons for School Library Journal wrote that "DePaola's irrepressible illustrations add vibrancy and humor." And a critic in Publishers Weekly noted of Merry Christmas, Strega Nona: "The joyful ending and sparkling illustrations make this one of the most warmhearted selections of the season." Ilene Cooper. reviewing the same book for Booklist, claimed, "It's especially satisfying to see a bona fide story centered on Christmas that is funny, accessible, and contains a gentle message tucked neatly inside."

In addition to his "Strega Nona" series, dePaola has also received much acclaim for the individual titles for which he is both author and illustrator. His first informational book, Charlie Needs a Cloak, is considered one of the best examples of dePaola's ability to make education fun. In this work, which tells the story of how shepherd Charlie makes himself a new red cloak, dePaola provides information on shearing, carding, spinning, weaving, and sewing while adding humor through the exploits of a mouse and a sheep. Less educational but equally enjoyable are his "Barker Bunch" books, which feature twin Welsh terrier pups Morgan and Moffat. In Meet the Barkers: Morgan and Moffat Go to School the twins experience their first days at school, and their different personalities begin to shine as they meet new friends and confront new challenges. In Boss for a Day Moffat's controlling personality is addressed by her mother, and the pup responds by letting her twin brother make the decisions for one day, while Hide and Seek All Week finds the twins and their classmates so caught up in setting down the rules of a playground game that recess is over before they can actually play. In A New Barker in the House dePaola has the opportunity to include some Spanish phrases in his text; in the story, the Barker family adopts a new pup named Marcos, who can speak only Spanish. Praising the series, Booklist contributor Carolyn Phelan noted that dePaola's "Barker" stories "feature believable characters and situations familiar to children."

DePaolo's The Clown of God: An Old Story is a retelling of the legend of a juggler who offers his talent as a gift to the Christ Child and is rewarded with a miracle, while Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story places a traditional tale in a new setting, removing the magic and adding a dose of homespun reality. Like the fairy-tale heroine, Adelita has difficulty dealing with her mean-spirited stepmother and stepsisters. However, instead of a fairy godmother, help comes in the form of a family friend, and the storybook prince turns out to be a childhood friend. Booklist reviewer Ilene Cooper noted that dePaola's "text has a fresh flair that is matched by the bright, airy artwork" while in Publishers Weekly the reviewer praised the folk-art illustrations, the inclusion of Spanish vocabulary, and a story line "infused with Mexican warmth and color." "Depth and brilliance in composition combine with economy of line to create a true tour de force," concluded Ann Welton in her School Library Journal review of Adelita.

DePaola has received critical recognition for several other books with religious themes, particularly the history of several popular saints. Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi is a picture book celebrating the eight-hundredth anniversary of the birth of the saint. Considered an outstanding presentation of the life of St. Francis, the work has, according to Natalie Babbitt in the Washington Post Book World, "a glow that can only come from the deepest concern for the subject." In a similar vein, Christopher: The Holy Giant tells the story of the deposed saint Christopher, who in legend carried the Christ Child on his back across a raging river. In her review of the book in Horn Book, Mary M. Burns wrote that dePaola's tales of the saints "are remarkable for innate spirituality without overt sentimentality. They are childlike—clear, precise, concrete—but never childish." And in Pascual and the Kitchen Angels, dePaola creates what School Library Journal contributor James K. Irwin dubbed a "delightful retelling" of the story of the Spanish boy who would grow up to be the patron saint of cooks and kitchens. Noting the gentle humor included in dePaola's illustrations, a Publishers Weekly contributor praised the fact that the author/illustrator nonetheless "doesn't lose sight of Pascual's faith, demonstrating that a picture book can be worshipful and joyful at the same time."

In 1999 dePaola published the first of a series of chapter books in the "Twenty-six Fairmount Avenue" series, titled after the address of the first home in which the dePaola family lived. Sally Lodge, interviewing the author for Publishers Weekly, commented that using words rather than pictures was a radical change for the illustrator. He himself said, "In picture books, the pictures move the story and the characters along, but with 26 Fairmount Avenue, I had to find all those adjectives I learned to leave out over the years. Where before I had to reduce, reduce, reduce, now with this series I have to add, add, add. It's a very interesting process for me." The first book in the series introduces the main characters, including young Tomie, while Here We All Are finds the youngster beginning tap dancing lessons and anticipating the arrival of a new baby sister. In On My Way the youngster visits the 1939 World's Fair, starts the first grade, and has his first dance recital, while in What a Year he turns six in a surprise party and enjoys his family's colorful Halloween and Christmas festivities. The fifth volume in the series, Things Will Never Be the Same, begins in January of 1941, and follows Tomie through dance recitals, a trip to see a Walt Disney film, and weathering, with his family, the tragedy that befell the United States when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the nation entered World War II. A reviewer for the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books observed that the series has "an understated, unassuming rhythm" and successfully brings people and events "to easy life," while in Publishers Weekly a contributor noted that the "cheerful" line-drawn illustrations bring to life "Tomie's considerable spunk and help bring his likeable family and friends into focus." Praising the animated drawings of Things Will Never Be the Same, John Peters praised the work in his Booklist review, noting that dePaola creates for young readers "a vanished, but somehow universal, world" through an easy-to-read text that conveys both a "childlike sensibility, and irrepressible spirit."

DePaola has also received acclaim for the works he has done in nontraditional formats such as the pop-up book and wordless picture book. For example, his pop-up book Giorgio's Village, which portrays a medieval Italian village in three-dimensional detail, is considered one of the most successful examples of its genre. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly called it "spectacular, amusing as well as educational," while in Booklist Barbara Elleman stated that the "look and feel of another country comes magically alive" in this work. DePaola has also been credited for his compilations; for example, Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose, a collection of more than two hundred rhymes and songs, is now considered a standard source. Writing in Horn Book, Ann A. Flowers noted the book's obvious role as "a classic," while Junior Bookshelf critic M. Hobbs dubbed the book "arguably, the American illustrator's best work to date" and "a classic of nursery illustration." Both critics' predictions have proved accurate: selections from Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose have continued to be reprinted two decades since the book's original 1985 publication.

More than four decades after beginning his career as a children's book author, dePaola remains popular with new generations of fans. In an interview with Phyllis Boyson of the New Era, the author/illustrator once commented, "I write a lot for children between three and seven years old, and young children can tell right away when you're not being honest. If a message rings true, they will sit and listen. My guess is that children respond to my work because it's simple and honest." Writing in Books for Your Children, dePaola added, "It's a dream of mine that one of my books, any book, any picture, will touch the heart of some individual child and change that child's life for the better. I don't even have to know about it. I hope it's not a far-fetched dream. Meanwhile, I'll keep working, doing the best I'm capable of."