Tomie dePaola, ‘Strega Nona’ Author, Dead at 85

Author Tomie dePaola, best-known for his children’s book series Strega Nona, has passed away. The author and illustrator died on Monday at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. He was 85 years old.

DePaola’s passing was announced by his literary agent, Doug Whiteman, and reported by the Associated Press. Whiteman said that his clinet was badly injured last week when he fell, then died due to complications with a surgery. He is mourned by legions of loyal readers, as well as the people of New Hampshire. The state’s governor, Chris Sununu issued a statement.

Sununu said that dePaola was “a man who brought a smile to thousands of Grante State children who read his books, cherishing them for their brilliant illustrations.”

“He was a creator of beauty and a beloved friend,” added author Lin Oliver.

Over the course of more than 50 years, dePaola worked on over 270 books in total. All told, nearly 25 million copies of his books have been sold worldwide. His work has been translated into more than 20 languages.

For many people, dePaola’s most iconic creation was Strega Nona. The character was reportedly first doodled when dePaola was a member of the theater department at Colby Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire. He drew the character during a boring faculty meeting, and ran with the idea from there.

The first book in the series, Strega Nona: An Original Tale, was published in 1975. It became a Caldecott finalist for best illustrated work, and inspired more stories with the character. Most were based on childhood stories dePaola had loved, including Strega Nona’s Magic Lessons and Strega Nona Meets Her Match.

DePaola grew up in Connecticut, and spent most of his life in New England. His home in New Hampshire included a 200-year-old barn, which had his art studio and library in it. In recent years, he said that he focused less on work like Strega Nona that had defined him for so long.

“Even though I love doing my books and I try to be as creative as possible, there’s always a restriction,” dePaola said in a 2013 interview with AP. “I have to please other people, I have to please my art director, my editor, and then there’s all the public to please. Some of the books I’ve considered my best artistic personal accomplishments aren’t necessarily the books that appeal to children. And that’s OK.”

“I just keep the inner critic,” he went on. “Don’t let the little 4-year-old get jaded. I listen to him. He stands beside me and says, ‘No, I don’t like that.’”