I’ve taught people of all ages, and I have noted that most people resist changing their original product–be it a bit of writing or a bit of visual art. [I have taught both writing and art.] People resist changing what they thought were their creative babies.

I am studying Tomie dePaola’s writing and illustrating career now, and I am delighted to be able to report that Tomie dePaola — a Master — allowed Strega Nona –his creative brainchild–to change. He edited his original creation several times, and that is an act of courage.

In his treasury of instruction for would-be writers and illustrators, dePaola tells how, during the 1970s,  he created the character Strega Nona. At first, she was only a doodle.

“On my pad, I drew the profile, but suddenly I found I had drawn a headscarf. I put in the eye and the smiling mouth and continued to draw a little chubby body, complete with long skirt and apron. And I scribbled the words ‘Strega Nona’ next to the drawing.

“I was tickled pink. She was so cute, so Italian, and I thought I might be able to use her in a book somedayl I pinned the doodle up on my studio wall.” dePaola, The Magical World of Strega Nona, pg. vi.

I primarily want you to focus on these words: “I was tickled pink. She was so cute, so Italian….”

During the 1970s, dePaola LOVED Strega Nona, but over the next 50 years, he vastly edited the character that he had loved from the day she was born:

“‘..finally, maybe you’ll notice that Strega Nona looks a tiny bit different in the first book than she does later on. Well, as I got to know her better, I began to draw her better!’” Tomie dePaola, a letter in the book: The Magical Worlds of Strega Nona, pg. x.

Please reread the above words and remember that Tomie dePaola was a master storyteller and a master illustrator. During his lifetime, he wrote over 260 picture books, and his first Stega Nona book earned the Caldecott Honor Award. Yet, dePaola — the Master–Dared to Rethink his creation and to re-do her–several times.

Strega Nona in 1975
Image Credit: Tomie dePaola on Amazon
Illustration from Strega Nona

Strega Nona in 1982
Image Credit: Tomie dePaola on Amazon
Illustration from Strega Nona’s Magic Lesson

*Note that Strega Nona had become pinker, and her cheeks were blushed.

Strega Nona in 1993
Image Credit: Tomie dePaola on Amazon
Illustration from Strega Nona Meets Her Match

*Note that Strega Nona’s skin is warmer and is shaded, and her cheeks are more evenly blushed.

Strega Nona in 2009
Image Credit: Tomie dePaola on Amazon
Illustration from Strega Nona’s Harvest

*Note that Strega Nona’s skin has mellowed again and are moving back toward the coloring of the earlier Stregas.

When you look at the cover designs of the Strega Nona books, you will see that dePaola was experimenting with color:

Strega Nona Book Cover in 1975
Image Credit: Tomie dePaola on Amazon
Illustration from Strega NonaBook Cover in 1982
Image Credit: Tomie dePaola on Amazon
Illustration from Strega Nona’s Magic LessonBook Cover in 1993
Image Credit: Tomie dePaola on Amazon
Illustration from Strega Nona Meets Her Match

DePaola was illustrating at the same time as the brilliant Stephen Gammel was illustrating.
Image Credit: Amazon

To be honest, at the time, I preferred Gammel’s work over dePaola’s work. Both illustrators earned a Calecott Honor Award.
Image Credit: Amazon

In 1988, Gammel was awarded the Caldecott medal for his illustrations in The Song and Dance Man.

Janis Joplin
Jacki Kellum Watercolor

Bouquet in a Blue Jar
Jacki Kellum Watercolor

I am a colorist, and for years, I rejected Tomie dePaola’s books. That was a huge mistake. Tomie dePaola was a master, and he created over 260 picture books. In those books, he has entertained multitudes of children, but his work remains as a teaching source for potential authors and illustrators. Now, as I am studying the body of dePaola’s work, I must admit that I prefer dePaola’s more subtle color tones to his later experiments, but I admire him for trying new things. History has shown that the world prefers dePaola’s original Strega Nona, too:

Strega Nona Book Cover in 1975
Image Credit: Tomie dePaola on Amazon
Illustration from Strega Nona

“The book, which is likely dePaola’s best-known work, was published in 1975 and won a Caldecott Honor in 1976. It was one of the “Top 100 Picture Books” of all time in a 2012 poll by School Library Journal.” Wikipedia

The skin color of Strega Nona shifted a bit over the years but the character of Strega Nona did not.

The success of the Strega Nona books can be attributed to how fully dePaola developed Strega Nona’s world as well as to the strength of the character Strega Nona. I would desribe Strega Nona as a happy, positive character. DePaola never deviated from that character. Much later, dePaola wrote another story about an old Itaian woman who was not happy and positive.

Old Befana in 2017
Image Credit: Tomie dePaola on Amazon
Illustration from The Legend of Old Befana

Image Credit: Tomie dePaola on Amazon
Illustration from The Legend of Old Befana

It is important that dePaola had the wisdom to retain the personality and the character of Strega Nona throughout the the successful series about her. When he felt the need to experiement with a different story–NOT a Strega Nona book. The book’s setting and images are similar, but the character is different. Thus, he did not confuse the reader by telling this story through Strega Nona. Perhaps he would have writeen more Befana stories, but dePaola died not long after her book was published.

“On March 30, 2020, the hand that gave life to the affable Strega Nona, that infused humor into a book about quicksand, and that brought life to a both poignant and funny childhood incident in Tom laid down its brush for the last time Tomie dePaola, sadly, died suddenly following surgery at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center near his home in New London, New Hampshire.” Elleman, The Worlds of Tomie dePaola.