Customer Reviews

Brava, Strega Nona!: A Heartwarming Pop-Up Book

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a gorgeous book, combining the classic art of Tomie dePaola that you know and love with some truly mind boggling pop ups. It's not so much a story as a recipe for a good life - but as Tomie says (I went to a book signing yesterday) he's written lots of stories in his other books, so here he chose to take advantage of the visual display opportunities presented by the pop up spreads rather than engaging in a longer story.

The paper work really is magnificent. That being said, this may be more suited to slightly older, or at least calmer, readers if you're thinking of buying it for a little one.

Brava, Strega Nona! is a magnificent work of art. The pop-ups and the story work perfectly together to exalt the simple things that are Strega Nona's "magic recipe" for the good life. My immediate urge is to buy one for everyone I know! BRAVO! to Tomie dePaola, Robert Sabuda, and Matthew Reinhart, whose collaboration on this book is truly magical. Each page is full of their artistry, and simply awe-inspiring. I wish I could give it TEN stars!!!!

I came across Brava Strega Nona! in a holiday gift issue of Real Simple and thought it would be a good gift for my 1 year old niece. But the pop-up paperwork is so intricate and beautiful, it actually turned out to be a better fit for my 4 year old nephew, who knew to take care with the handiwork. It's a lovely little story about an old Italian woman that translates to any age, but honestly the adults were more excited about the book than anyone. On one page, a magic pot of pasta spills noodles right off the edge of the book and it's so. darn. cool. I recommend this book for anyone 4 to 94, especially someone who can appreciate a creative hand when they see one.

I love pop-up books. Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart are my favorite paper artists, and I was excited to see that they both worked on this title. Although I'm not a huge Strega Nona fan, I was delighted with this book--even though I've seen most recent pop-up books, I was still wowed by some of the creations--and think it's worth buying.

Really great story, incredible pop-ups and colors. A great story to share with children or adults and to share with family.

we had to return our copy as the patience page get stuck and does not fold again, however this is amazing book.

the replacement had the same problem, so we will wait couple of months until getting a new one from fresh stock.

this is a must have

First I must say that I love all Strega Nona books. I have been collecting them for my daughter since before she was born. I also collect pop-up books for our special mommy-daughter book time. So, when I discovered a Strega Nona pop-up had been made, I had to get it. It lived up to, and exceeded my excitement and expectations. WE LOVE THIS BOOK! With elaborate pop-ups and pictures of food, friends, and celebration, I believe it to be a book to capture anyone's heart.

This book had alot going for it before we even opened it: 1) we already have several Strega Nona books that we enjoy, 2) we are of Italian heritage, and 3) we like popup books. Well, when my 6-year-old daughter and I opened it up, we couldn't believe our eyes. The popups were so amazing and intricate! Can I just say spinning water in the water fountain in the town square!? The simple words to live by in the story are just fantastic - so true and simple - plus, each one is a word or phrase in Italian, which is an extra treat, as my daughter likes to learn Italian when she can. I am already thinking of who I can buy this book for as a gift. My daughter was thanking me over and over again, and wants to bring the book to school. I am so glad I purchased this book!

I'm a first grade teacher and have been a huge Tomie dePaola fan for years. (My students always LOVE the Strega Nona books). So I was thrilled when I saw that he had teamed with Robert Sabuda. This is such a beautiful, cleverly done book. It's especially great if you're already familiar with the Strega Nona books, but kids can still enjoy it with no prior knowledge of the other stories. As a teacher, this has been a great springboard for writing activities, since each page talks about what kinds of things make our lives rich and worthwhile (such as family, friends, eating, and celebrating) and the kids have used to it write about their own families, friends, how they celebrate, etc. I couldn't wait to show it to the school librarian, who promptly ordered several copies for the library, and to other teaching colleagues who also ordered their own. I highly recommend it! Thanks Tomie dePaola for writing and drawing with such humor and humanity, and Robert Sabuda for bring it to 3-D life!

My daughter has had this book for a year and still loves it. It's detailed, intricate and beautiful to look at for adults and kids - like all Sabuda's books. We've bought several as gifts for other little girls because we love looking at it together so much. Only thing is that the actual Strega Nona story isn't told in this book so when we give it as a gift, we accompany it with the 'Strega Nona' book. This book doesn't have a lot of information like Sabuda's Dinosaur book. It also has only one 'book within a book' type page. It's more a recreation of an Italian village and an old 'witch's' daily life. My daughter loves it because of all the people on every page, doing simple things like eating, paryting in the village square etc.