The focus of this reading is the text. Through Tomie dePaola’s many illustrations, he shows you most of the action in the plot. Making these connections between illustrations and plot will help anchor understanding of the plot for the young reader. Remember the questions that you had in the First Reading. The text will answer most of them, especially any questions you had about why the characters might be looking and feeling certain emotions.
As you read the text, Mr. dePaolo uses several important punctuation marks and italics to help you add tone, mood, and pausing to your oral reading. Point out these punctuation marks and special print to your child. Explain that these are directions from the author on how to read his story.
*Always read the text before you ask the questions.
Page 1:
Stress italized words when you read. Point out the word to the reader.
~ witch: a person, usually a woman, who practices magic. Strega Nona is Italian. Strega means witch. Nona means grandmother.
~priests and sisters: Priests are men who dedicate their lives to performing services for the church. Sisters/Nuns are women belonging to special religious groups who live according to special church rules. Find the priests and sisters in the picture. (They are in the bottom half of the illustration.) Note how they dress in order to identify them in other illustrations.
~magic: control over nature, to create something, transform something, or move something with special powers.
~Think about times that you whisper. Why would the townspeople need to whisper when they talk to each other about Strega Nona? (Possible answers: They don’t want her to hear what they are saying. They don’t want her to know that they think she might be a witch.)
Pages 2 – 3:
~potion: a drink having special powers. Is the potion an example of Strega Nona’s magic?
~warts: a small, hard growth on the skin. How do you think Strega Nona removes warts? Does she seem to use magic?
~keep her little house and garden: take care of the house and garden.
Pages 4 – 5:
~grazie and si: thank you and yes in Italian.
~How would you describe Big Anthony?
~Identify each of the illustrations that show Big Anthony’s jobs.
Pages 6 – 7:
~Is the pasta pot magic? Explain your answer.
~Why does Mr. dePaolo say, “too bad for Big Anthony”?
~Why doesn’t Big Anthony see Strega Nona blow three kisses to the pasta pot? (He didn’t pay attention, as was mentioned on page 4.)
~On page 7, what is happening in each illustration? (Strega Nona is calling Big Anthony to supper and blowing three kisses to the magic pasta pot.)
Pages 8 – 9:
~fetch: get. Why is Big Anthony fetching water?
~lie: a false statement meant to deceive someone. In the Catholic Church, lies must be confessed to a priest.
~Do you agree with the text….is it a very bad thing to be angry?
~The text tells us how Big Anthony is feeling. Now, we understand his facial expression in the illustrations. What do you think Big Anthony is thinking?
Pages 10 – 11:
~Why is Big Anthony so happy?
Pages 12 – 13:
~hero: a person who performs an extraordinary act. Why do the townspeople think that Big Anthony is a hero?
~Find the sisters in the illustration. (You identified the sisters in the illustration on page 1.)
~Why is the pot never empty? (It’s a magic pasta pot.)
Pages 14 – 15:
~alas: an expression of sorrow.
~compliments: a statement of praise. What compliments might everyone be saying to Big Anthony?
Pages 16 – 21:
Read the pages first.
~How can Big Anthony stop the magic pasta pot?
~Why doesn’t the pot stop making pasta?
~barricade: something built, usually in a street, to stop passage of something. Find the barricade in the illustration.
~mayor: the leader of the city. Find the mayor in the picture.
Pages 22 – 23:
~”We are lost”: There will be so much pasta that no one will be able to find the town. Could there be enough pasta to cover the town?
~didn’t have to look twice: knew immediately. Why didn’t Strega Nona have to look twice to know what was happening in the town?
Pages 24 – 25:
~halt: stop.
~”But they turned on poor Big Anthony. ‘String him up,’ the men of the town shouted.”
Retell this sentence in your own words. (Example: The people got mad at Big Anthony and wanted to punish him.)
Page 26 – 30:
~”The punishment fits the crime.” What does Strega Nona mean?
~The men of the town want to string Big Anthony up, and Strega Nona wants another punishment. With which punishment do you agree?