Happy New Year!

© Tomie dePaola

Stanley, Stella, Edward, Nesy and a Mango

Top to Bottom:
Mango
Nevins Memorial Library
Methuen, MA

Flat Stanley
Mr. Speca's Second Grade
Destiny Christian School
Rochester, NY

Flat Stanley
Mrs. Spinelli's Second Grade
Pattison Elementary
Milford, OH

Flat NESY
Mrs. Carson's Second Grade
Northville Elementary
New Milford, CT

Flat Stanley
Mrs. Damon's Second Grade
Pittston Elementary
Pittston, ME

Flat Stella
Maris, First Grader

Flat Edward the Elephant
Ms. Neugebauer's Second Grade
Garretson Elementary
Garretson, SD

Flat Stanley
Mr. Speca's Second Grade
Destiny Christian School
Rochester, NY

Amaryllis Fully in Bloom

Folk Art by Brita Ek

Brita Ek gave wonderful small pillows as gifts this Christmas. Brita creates her works using the technique of Swedish wool embroidery - wool yarn embroidered on wool fabric.

Done. Done! DONE!

Tomie finished the illustrations for JACK minutes ago. The completed illustrations will be shipped to the publisher on Thursday, January 2, with a hoped for arrival on Friday, January 3.

JACK, written and illustrated by Tomie, will be published by Nancy Paulsen Books during the fall of 2014.

Holiday Greetings From Lucy, Mark AND Tomie!

It isn't unusual for a family to remark after having their photograph taken with me at an autographing, "We should use this for our Christmas card."

If "our" photograph has been used for holiday greetings, I'm unaware of it... until NOW!

Lucy and Mark in Virginia just sent me "our" Christmas card. The photograph was taken this fall at the Book Rack in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

I love it!

Abby From Nova Scotia

Abby in Nova Scotia wrote a letter and asked some questions.

Q: Are you and your brother Buddy best friends now?
A: My brother Buddy died many years ago. We were never good friends, but we got along just fine.

Q: Are you going to write any more books about 26 Fairmount Avenue?
A: I hope to write one more "26 Fairmount Avenue" book, but it isn't scheduled, so I don't know when I will do it.

Q: In the book "Why?" you tell about your cousin Blackie bringing you a Hawaiian grass skirt. Do you still have it?
A: I no longer have the grass skirt that Blackie gave me. I'll be 80 in 2014, so I'd probably look pretty silly wearing it.

Q: In the book "Big Anthony" did you base Big Anthony's name on Blackie?
A: Big Anthony was named after my middle name, Anthony. His look was patterned after my cousin Frankie. I think we all are a little like Big Anthony. Big Anthony isn't stupid. He just doesn't pay attention.

Four Generations of French dePaola Women

Mireille is seated on the right. She is the mother of Regine who is seated on the left. Regine is the mother of Lucie who is seated in the middle. Lucie is the mother of Alice who is seated on Lucie's lap.

The story is...
Mireille's father was a cousin of Tomie's Italian grandfather.

A Joyful House

Merry Christmas

© Tomie dePaola

Merry Christmas Eve

© Tomie dePaola

Heart-pounding, Juicy and Moody Books

Ms. Pieper's second grade class in Irving, Texas, wrote letters.

Noor: Sometimes I get in moods in your books.

Sam: Your books have juicey words.

Rehoboth: Do you have a monkey?

Tomie: I do not have a monkey.

Roslyn: Your art is so beautyful it makes my hart pound.

Stained Glass Sunshine

Tomie designed a stained glass window for his Mercer Room when it was built. This is the sun shining through the window today.

O Antiphon, the Last of the Season

© Tomie dePaola

O Antiphon, Sixth Evening

© Tomie dePaola

Happy Fourth Sunday of Advent

© Tomie dePaola

Then and Now and In Between

"Tomie dePaola: Then" closed on Friday, December 20, 2013, at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH.  "Then" featured artwork from junior high school through the mid-1970s.

"Tomie dePaola: Now" will open at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH, on Friday, September 19, 2014, four days after Tomie's 80th birthday on Monday, September 15, 2014.  "Now" will feature artwork from the mid-1970s until "now."

In between the exhibits of "Then" and "Now," there is a wonderful electronic exhibition on the University of Connecticut website.

Andrew Maloney of Simmons College created the electronic exhibit "A Life in Art: The Tomie dePaola Papers," with the help of Terri Goldich, Curator, Northeast Children's Literature Collection (NCLC).  Andrew interned during the summer of 2013 at NCLC where most of Tomie's archives are stored.  NCLC is at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, at the University of Connecticut, in Storrs, Connecticut.

http://doddcenter.uconn.edu/asc/exhibits/electronic.htm
"A Life in Art: The Tomie dePaola Papers"
Click on "View the Exhibit."

(Adults might want to view pages 9, 93 and 107 of the 140-page PDF before showing to children.)

The Picture Index begins on page 137.

Happy Day After!

© Tomie dePaola

O Antiphon, Fifth Evening

© Tomie dePaola

The Key to Happiness

Jameion is in Mrs. McClure's second grade class in Edmond, Oklahoma. Jameion wrote, "Win I am happy I read your books to make me much happier."

O Antiphon, Fourth Evening

© Tomie dePaola

O Antiphon, Third Evening

© Tomie dePaola

Andy's Poem for Tomie

Andy is a middle school student in Marysville, Washington. He wrote:

You're on my top ten list of favorite authors. I made a poem for you:
Books are great,
  Books are fun,
Tommy is amazing
  and I love him too.

Not the best poem, but it's for you. Thank you for all the books you written!

Airedales and Convertibles

Phyllis and Sadie Katie of Madison, Connecticut, were inspired to take their own photograph in a convertible after seeing Tomie and Bronte in a convertible. More proof that Airedale terriers like convertibles.

Photograph of Tomie and Bronte © Julie Maris/Semel

O Antiphon, Second Evening

© Tomie dePaola

O Antiphons

© Tomie dePaola

Mauli Wreath 2013

The ring with manger scene was created, based on Tomie's work, many years ago by Midwest of Cannon Falls. Each year, Tomie asks Mauli McDonald of Art of Nature in New London to use the ring to make a wreath for his front door.

www.natureswildart.com

Jim and Kathy of the AP

Associated Press photographer Jim Cole and AP writer Kathy McCormack's article about Tomie was published several days ago, and was circulated to news sources almost everywhere, it seemed.

Jim had been a student of Tomie's when Tomie taught at New England College in Henniker, NH, in the mid-to-late 1970s.

www.bigstory.ap.org/article/strega-nona-tomie-depaolas-stories-endure

A Visit with Andrew and J

Andrew Spahr and his daughter, Juliana, or J, recently visited Tomie. First, Tomie toured "Tomie dePaola: Then" at Colby-Sawyer College with Andrew and J.  It was particularly interesting for Tomie to talk about the exhibit with Andrew and J because of their art history background.  They could see the influences of Tomie's early artwork.

They next came to Tomie's studio.

Andrew Spahr is Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire. The Currier had bought two panels of original artwork from TOMIE DEPAOLA'S MOTHER GOOSE STORY STREAMERS several months ago.

Tomie decided to give the Currier the original artwork for the remaining three sets of panels, and pocket folder jacket, so that the Currier would have all of the artwork for the STORY STREAMERS.  Andrew and J came to the studio to pick up Tomie's donation of artwork.

www.currier.org

Passings

One week ago, Don Elleman died. He was the wonderful husband of Barbara Elleman (TOMIE DEPAOLA, HIS ART & HIS STORIES), and Tomie's friend.

Nearly six months ago, Harlow Carlson died. He was the wonderful husband of retired school teacher Karen Carlson, and Tomie's friend.

Although Tomie knew of these two passings from Barbara and from Karen, Tomie is learning of the final days of others through notes sent with Christmas cards.

Christmas joy mixed with some sadness.

Happy Third Sunday of Advent

© Tomie dePaola

If You Had a Magic Pot...

During Mr. Menta's library class in Milford, Connecticut, Mrs. Toole's second graders answered the question: If you had a magic pot like Strega Nona, how would you help people and why?

Some of the answers were:
If some people were blind I would try to make eye cameras and put it on their eyes. If some people did not have money I will give them golden eggs. When people are sick I will give them good treats. When people are kidnapped I will get a scary snake and scare the kidnappers. If people were hurt I would give them a first aid kit.

I would feed the poor popcorn. And I would give the poor a big pot of pasta. And I will make clouse for peopole that dont have any. I will make pizza for eveyboby.

I will give food to the uther pepel. I will give them mony for clows. I will sing them a song. I will give them ice crem. I will give them books to read.

I would giv pleop muney. Be cas peopl can get food. Food is inpornet. They need food. for they can be strong and brave.

Three Stars for Two Stars

LITTLE POEMS FOR TINY EARS, written by Star Lin Oliver, and illustrated by Star Tomie, received starred reviews from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY and BOOKLIST in November.

KIRKUS has just given LITTLE POEMS FOR TINY EARS another starred review: "Oliver pens a set of poems tailor-made for tiny ears and tiny minds... Varied rhythm and rhyme schemes enrich a baby's exploration of sound at the time when his or her developing mind needs it most.... A tenderly crafted collection that captures the joyous individual moments of infant discoveries."

LITTLE POEMS FOR TINY EARS, Nancy Paulsen Books, Publication Date: February 11, 2014

A Radio Interview From June 23, 2011

www.publicbroadcasting.net/wwno/news.newsmain/article/8008/0/1819021/The.Reading.Life/The.Reading.Life..62311

Happy Feast of St. Lucy

© Tomie dePaola

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

© Tomie dePaola

Coming February 11, 2014

Happy Feast of St. Juan Diego

© Tomie dePaola