The Legend of Old Befana

Author: Tomie De Paola 

Illustrator: Tomie De Paola 

Date Published: 1980 

About the book: The Legend of Old Befana is an Italian Christmas folklore retold by Tomie De Paola. The celebration of Befana, who flies across the sky on Twelfth Night, leaving cakes and cookies for children as they sleep, is a beloved story in Europe. It is timeworn only by its many versions, and Tomie De Paola's retelling is unique in its resplendent settings and carefully researched detail. His story also broadens the character of the eccentric old recluse of the small Italian village, who is always sweeping. While Befana is sometimes called a witch, Tomie De Paola gives his readers a chance to make their own decisions, imbuing Old Befana with more humanity than most have offered the lonely old woman in her endless search for the Christ Child.

Summary: Old Befana is a lonely old lady that sweeps all day, every day and never lets anyone into her home. One day, while sweeping her walkway, she learned about the child king from three kings in search of him. Later, Old Befana went on her own search. In search of the Christ child, every year on the Feast of the Kings celebrated on January the sixth,  Old Befana visits all the children of Italy and  leaves them homemade candies, cookies, gifts and sweep their rooms clean. 

Genre: The genre of this book is folklore. "Folklore is composed of stories passed down through generations by word of mouth. As such, they have no known author. As people told the stories to one another, they changed and molded them to suit their fancy....Folklore reflects the values of the culture in which it grew; it encompasses universal experiences as shaped by the individual culture." (Galda, Cullinan, & Sipe. 2010, p.15) The Legend of Old Befana has been told for generations and generations in Europe. It has no known author and has been modified many times. 

Illustration:  

  

The illustration of the book reflects folk art which correlates with the type of literature it is, folklore. The colors are beautiful and complements each other very well.  Tomie De Paola use of lines is spectacular and eclectic, and his use of shape is representational and realistic. The technique of the illustration seems to be drawing and the medium colored pencils and regular pencils. The illustration complements the text wonderfully as they both reflects folklore. Children will find the illustration interesting and captivating as they move from page to page.  

Motivational Activity: 

• Activity 1 -                  Christmas Around the World

After reading The Legend of Old Befana, teacher and students will compare and contrast the story to other Christmas stories from around the world. 

• Activity 2 -                          Tomie De Paola Author Study

Using a collection of Tomie De Paola books - including a book Tomie wrote about himself- and the internet, children will complete a research on the life and work about Tomie. They can present the information any way they choose. 

Personal Opinion: I love this book. Although it is a folklore, its a multicultural book that children can learn about another's culture. Children can also relate to this book as it is similar to the famous Santa Clause story. The story is easy to read and beautifully illustrated. Another reason I like this book is because of its religious ties. Most books do not implement religion in its literature so this is a rarity. There is also a ton of activities that can be derive from this book and I would recommend this book to everyone. 

How the Suggested Activities Correlates with Saint Leo University's Core Value of Respect.  

Saint Leo University Core Value of Respect states that "Animated in the spirit of Jesus Christ, we value all individuals' unique talents, respect their dignity, and strive to foster their commitment to excellent in our work.  Our community's strength depends on the unity and diversity of our people on the free exchange of ideas, and on learning, living, and working harmoniously." The activity Christmas Around the World will help students to learn about and respect other people's tradition. It fosters diversity and shows that others are valued. The Author Study activity elaborates on Tomie De Paola's unique talent and his commitment to excellent through his work. 

Other books by the Author: 

• Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs

• Pancakes for Breakfast

• The Art Lesson 

• The Legend of the Bluebonnet 

References: 

DePaola, T. (1980). The legend of Old Befana: An Italian Christmas story. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanich.

Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.