Barron Family Adventures

Introducing Tomie dePaola

Fun with Kids

Tomie dePaola

By Emmy Barron, for the Roscoe Wilson Heroes Fair, December 19-20, 2011

This Heroes Fair is one way to be introduced to a few people who have done good things over the course of their lifetime. One of these people is Tomie dePaola. In this paper, I will introduce you to a couple of facts about Tomie dePaola.

Tomie dePaola was born in Meriden, Connecticut on September 15, 1934. His parents were Joseph and Florence dePaola. He had one brother, Joseph, and two sisters, Judie and Maureen. Maureen was not only his sister but his best friend. Later, he would write a book about her called, My Baby Sister.

He wanted to be a children’s literature author as a child. This led to a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts,) from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York and an MFA (Master of Fine Arts,) from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California. In 1965, he illustrated his first children’s book, called Sound. As an actor, he appeared in many episodes of Barney and Friends. Then he started to write and illustrate his own children’s books.

He has written over 200 children’s books. This includes Strega Nona, 26 Fairmount Avenue, My Baby Sister, Adelita, Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato, Christopher, the Holy Giant, Night of Las Posadas, Legend of the Poinsettia, The Friendly Beasts, Giorgio’s Village, and What the Mailman Brought. Many of these he has received awards for. These include a 1976 Caldecott Honor for Strega Nona, a Boston Globe Horn Book in 1982 for The Friendly Beasts, the Golden Kite Award twice, once in 1982 for Giorgio’s Village, the other time in 1987 for What the Mailman Brought, a 2000 Newbery Honor for 26 Fairmount Avenue, and the 2000 Border Regional Library Association for Night of Las Posadas. His awards also include the Smithsonian Medal, the Kerlan Award, the Regina Medal, the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion, and the Living Treasure Award. He was selected to be a nominee for the United States in 1990 for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. This year he received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal for his lifetime commitment to children’s literature. He will be celebrating his 45th anniversary for publishing next year.

Tomie dePaola can be considered a hero because he faced his own challenges.  Later, he wrote books about them so other people might learn to face their challenges, too.  I read about four examples of this.  In the book Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs, he wrote about how he had to have hope even when his grandmothers died.  In Oliver Button is a Sissy, he learned how to be himself, even when other children teased him because of his hobbies.  In Now One Foot, Now the Other, he writes about helping his grandfather walk after his stroke.  Finally, in Tom, he talks about how he was very close with his grandfather, which can be hard because of their difference in age.

Some people might think that Tomie dePaola is a hero because of his awards, but I think that he is a hero because he faced his own challenges and helped other people face theirs, too.

Sources

dePaola Books Read

DePaola, T.A. (1999). 26 Fairmount Avenue. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

DePaola, T.A. (2009). Strega Nona’s Harvest. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Penguin Young Readers’ Group.

DePaola, T.A. (1981). The Friendly Beasts: an Old English Christmas Carol. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

DePaola, T.A. (1999). The Night of Las Posadas. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons.