TOMIE DE PAULA

By: Jeanette Netzel & Keatyn Millard-Smith

About Tomie:
• Born September 15, 1934 in Connecticut to Joseph
and Florence dePaola

• At the age of four, Tomie told anyone who would

listen that he wanted to write stories and draw
pictures for books and to sing and tap dance on
the stage when he grew up.

• Attended art school at the Pratt Institute in

Brooklyn, New York

• Tomie has now illustrated nearly 250 books and

written the stories for over 100 of those books.
Random Facts:
◦ His favorite holiday is Christmas.

◦ He has a dog named Brontë.

◦ His favorite food is popcorn.

◦ His favorite color is white.

◦ He uses the heart is his signature and

throughout his illustrations. Tomie says its his
symbol and abbreviation for love.
Use in the Classroom:
◦ Any of dePaola’s books can be incorporated into the
curriculum. His books are especially useful for opening up
student discussions about relevant topics such as bullying,
death, and more.
◦ Could be great read-aloud books
◦ Developing visual literacy skills.
◦ Good books to have in your classroom library.
Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs

◦ Based off of his real grandmothers

◦ Tomie’s favorite book of his own
◦ This story is about Tommy’s Grandmother and
Great-Grandmother. It shows the special
relationship between the old and young and
when they finally part.
◦ Good book to introduce topic of death to
children
Charlie Needs a Cloak
◦ This book shows how a shepherd named
Charlie makes a new cloak. His shears his
sheep, dyes the wool, and weaves the wool
into cloth. Charlie then sews the cloak
together.
Sing, Pierrot, Sing
◦ Wordless picture book.
◦ Could be good with ELL students
◦ This tells the story of a mime named Pierrot who
wants to win the affection of a young maiden
named Columbine. Although rejected, Pierrot
receives the gift of friendship from young
children who end up being a comfort to him.
The Legend of the Old Befana
◦ This story tells how Befana, an old Italian woman,
comes to bring cookies to children all across
Europe and sweep their rooms each year on
January sixth.
◦ Great around Christmas time.
◦ dePaola has many books that are based off of
different legends.
Fin M’Coul
◦ This story is about a giant living in Ireland
named Fin and his wife Oonagh. One day the
strongest giant in Ireland named Cucullin was
looking to beat up Fin. In the end Oonagh
used her wits to outsmart Cucullin and save Fin
from a beating.
◦
Oliver Button is a Sissy
◦ Oliver Button is a does not like to do
common “boy” things. Instead, he likes to
draw, read, and tap dance! The boys at
Oliver’s school call him a sissy and wrote it on
a wall. Oliver practices tap regardless. One
day, he entered a talent show and although
he did not win first place, someone crossed
out that he was a sissy and wrote that he
was a star.
◦ Would be a good book for bullying and
being true to yourself
Strega Nona’s Magic Lessons
◦ A baker’s daughter named Bambolona
was tired of baking every day for her
father. She left the bakery and asked
Strega Nona ( Grandma Witch) to teach
her her magic ways.
◦ There are 11 Strega Nona books
Tom
◦ This book is about some of the adventurers Tommy
shared with his grandfather Tom.
◦ Based off of memories with his grandfather, Tom.
◦ Could be a good way to introduce the topic of
death to students.
The Knight and the Dragon
◦ Very few words.
◦ Could be good with ELL students.
◦ About a knight and a dragon
preparing for a fight and discovering
that they are no good at it. In the end
the Dragon and the Knight use both of
their strengths to work together to
create something must more suited for
them both.
◦ Could show students that its okay not to
do what is considered typical.
26 Fairmount Avenue
◦ Newbery Honor Medal
◦ Autobiographical work
◦ Chapter book
◦ About when the dePaola family builds their home
and the hardships that come with
homeownership.
Activity:
◦ The teacher can demonstrate
autobiographical writing. The teacher can use
dePaola’s book as an example of an
autobiography and have students write their
own.

◦ Student autobiographies not only allow

teachers to incorporate a meaningful literature
lesson, but also provide an opportunity for
students to get to know their peers better.
References:
◦ DePaola, T. (n.d.). About Tomie. Retrieved from http://www.tomie.com/about_tomie/index.html
◦ DePaola, T. (n.d). Cotton Mather. Retrieved from http://tomiesblog.blogspot.com
◦ DePaola, T. (1999). 26 Fairmount Avenue. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
◦ DePaola, T. (1988). Charlie needs a cloak. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.
◦ DePaola, T. (1981). Fin M'Coul : The giant of Knockmany Hill. New York: Holiday House.
◦ DePaola, T. (1973). Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
◦ DePaola, T. (1979). Oliver Button is a sissy (1st ed.). New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
◦ DePaola, T. (1983). Sing, Pierrot, sing : A picture book in mime(1st ed.). San Diego: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich.
◦ DePaola, T. (1982). Strega Nona's magic lessons (1st ed.). New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
◦ DePaola, T. (1980). The knight and the dragon. New York: Putnam.
◦ DePaola, T. (1980). The legend of Old Befana (1st ed.). New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanich.
◦ DePaola, T. (1993). Tom. New York: Putnam's.
◦ Scholastic. (n.d.). 26 Fairmount Avenue. Retrieved from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-
plans/teaching-content/26-fairmount-avenue/