Strega Nona's Gift (Strega Nona)

Strega Nona and her entire Calabrian village are busy preparing for holiday feasts, from the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6 to Il Capodanno (New Year's Day) and beyond. On January 5, the eve of the Epiphany, when everyone traditionally cooks for their animals, Big Anthony can't resist "Signora Goat's" delicious food, and the resentful goat devours Big Anthony's blanket. Too cold to sleep, Anthony misses out on the dreams of delicious food that Strega Nona's magic grants the people of Calabria: "The walls turned into ricotta and mozzarella. Bedposts became sausages." DePaola delivers a hearty sampler of Italian holiday traditions and seasonal cuisine. Ages 5-8. (Oct.)

K-Gr 3--Fans of Strega Nona and her bumbling helper will delight in this funny tale in which the many feasts of the holiday season are the focal point. All is well until the eve of the Epiphany, the special night when animals are rumored to talk and are therefore well fed by their owners. Big Anthony greedily consumes the goat's treats, and the animal retaliates by eating his blanket. He suffers a cold and sleepless night without receiving the dreams of bountiful food that Strega Nona sends everyone else in the village as her gift. When he finds the lucky fava bean in the Epiphany cake, he asks for a gift of a new blanket and a dish of delicious food that he gives to the goat as a truce. Infused with warm Italian flavor and decorated with dePaola's signature charming illustrations, this is a holiday selection that readers will savor.--Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library