Big Anthony: His Story

Big Anthony is a character from the popular Tomie dePaola folk tale Strega Nona. This book follows the life of Big Anthony, and as usual he finds himself in a bit of trouble from his carelessness.

Retelling: This is the story of how Big Anthony came to work for Strega Nona. He tried many different jobs but at each one he didn’t pay attention and made terrible mistakes.

Thoughts and Feelings: Paying attention isn’t easy, but it is very important. The only way I've found around an

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overactive imagination is to repeat what the person says to make sure you've understood it correctly, and to write it down so you don't forget it.

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An introduction to the character Big Anthony who plays a roll in the Strega Nona series. In this tale, it tells about him and his inability to pay attention. He is asked to leave his family home for this reason. On the journey, he has several jobs but is unable to keep them because he cannot focus.

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In the end, he comes upon Strega Nona and the rest is history.

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Fun Story, he likes the characters! "Big Anthony, Pay Attention!"

This book could be great to talk about perspective as it is a story that plays off Tomie dePaola's Strega Nona series. Students can practice writing versions of classic stories from the perspective of a minor character and creatively explore the role of perspective in fiction.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. His journey illustrates the big idea in the book, which is don't give up on yourself. He constantly makes mistakes because he doesn't pay attention: "'And Anthony, don't leave any of the gates open. Did you hear me?' 'Si, Mama,' Big Anthony shouted, 'gates

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open!'" Since he didn't listen to his mother fully, he opens all the gates and lets all of the animals run away. Because he keeps making mistakes, his family tells him he needs to go make his fortune before he ruins the entire farm. He makes mistakes other places, but he eventually finds where he belongs. I really like that the main character, Big Anthony, makes mistakes and keeps moving on throughout the story. It made him very relatable and very human. I also like the use of Italian words in the story, such as "bambino", "il padrino", and "Padre". I think it really adds to the story and immerses you into the world where Big Anthony lives.

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Strega Nona's bumbling assistant, Big Anthony, gets his own 'biography' in this seventh entry in Tomie dePaola's picture-book series about the 'grandmother witch' and her helpers. Born on a farm in northern Italy, Anthony exhibits his trademark forgetfulness and clumsiness as he grows to adulthood.

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Eventually sent out into the world by his exasperated family, he heads south, finding a succession of jobs, none of which lasts, due to his inability to remember and follow instructions. The book closes with an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, which is at least, as Big Anthony comforts himself, not the hero's fault...

I enjoyed Big Anthony: His Story, which immediately follows the similar Strega Nona: Her Story, although I was a little bit disappointed that dePaola did not cover how the eponymous hero came to the grandmotherly witch's town in Calabria, and how he found a job with her. Leaving that aside, the story here is amusing, demonstrating that Big Anthony's failings, in the earlier books, were a lifelong characteristic. The artwork is appealing - vintage dePaola - and accentuates the humor of the many misadventures. I particularly liked the episode in which Big Anthony thinks he has caused the Leaning Tower of Pisa to tilt. Recommended to fans of Strega Nona and of Big Anthony.

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