Tomie dePaola's Folk Tale Storybooks
Writer-Artist Has Brought Legends of Many Cultures to Today's Kids
Jun 29, 2009
As a child reader, Tomie dePaola favored such subjects as Greek and Roman mythology, and he loved stories from The Arabian Nights as well as comic books like Fairy Tales on Parade. On top of that, his large Irish-Italian family "loved telling old tales on each other." This was good preparation for his future as an artist and writer of children's literature.
In a career that spans more than four decades, the award-winning dePaola has turned out religiously-themed stories, educational volumes and even autobiography. But one subject to which he returns again and again is folklore. Rather than concentrate on the works of such standard-bearers as Hans Christian Andersen or the Grimm Brothers, however, dePaola has adapted tales from many cultures. Of course, a significant number of his books draw upon his own Irish and Italian heritages.
Italian Legends
One might think dePaola gathered all the ideas for his folk tales of Italy from his immigrant paternal grandparents, but in fact he often finds inspiration in unexpected places. For instance, it was the chef of a restaurant near dePaola's New Hampshire home that first put him onto I Giorni della Merla ("the Blackbird Days"), a Northern Italian legend that explains why the blackbird is black and why February has only 28 days.
Before picking up pen or paintbrush, dePaola always does extensive research and locates every version he can of the chosen tale. But his adaptations aren't just straight re-tellings. For Days of the Blackbird, dePaola created some human characters and offered a possible origin for the source legend of some white birds who tried to escape the wrath of January by hiding in a chimney. The result was a fresh story of friendship and loyalty.
From the same region of Italy came The Prince of the Dolomites, based on a folk tale that veteran college professor dePaola heard from a fellow educator. Part of the appeal likely were the two central characters, a brave, devoted prince and princess who cleverly overcame great obstacles to be together. dePaola is attracted to strong characters that he can make even stronger. This certainly is true of The Legend of Old Befana, in which the familiar Italian tale's protagonist, a grouchy woman who ends up delivering gifts to children every Epiphany Eve (January 5th), is given more human depth.
Native American Folklore
As with The Prince of the Dolomites, dePaola got other story ideas from educators he met on speaking tours or who contacted him by mail. From these came such classics as The Legend of the Bluebonnet, about a Comanche girl who sacrificed her beloved doll to save her people from a deadly drought, and The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush, based on the tale of a young brave who tried to paint the sunset with his war paints. For Indian Paintbrush, dePaola removed the more violent, adult-oriented elements from the myth of Wyoming's state flower and he created a child protagonist who never participated in tribal animal hunts. The author even put part of his own backstory into the book when a respected elder counsels the main character to remain committed to his gift, his artistic talent.
dePaola found more inspiration across the U.S. border in Mexico, where he discovered The Legend of the Poinsettia, and his extensive researches into all versions of a tale served him well for Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story.
Irish Tales
Since laughter and storytelling were such important elements of his home life while growing up, it's no surprise that dePaola would weave humor into the fabric of his stories, and nowhere is this more evident than in the folklore of his mother's people. In fact, because his Italian and Native American books often are so serious, the author gives the Irish tales a strong concentration of whimsy.
The legendary giant Fin M'Coul is a vital part of Ireland's mythology, and he has featured in funny tales as well as in more heroic ones. But in Fin M'Coul, the Giant of Knockmany Hill, Tomie dePaola has the famous, adult figure dress in baby clothes and cram himself into a cradle so he can fool his nemesis. While the characters are normal-sized in Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato, the events are larger-than-life. Jamie, the laziest man in Ireland, thinks he's lucked out when a leprechaun helps him grow the world's biggest potato. Adding to the light tone of dePaola's book is the fact that the lesson - taking the easy route has its own consequences - is lost on Jamie, who continues being lazy in Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka.
Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes
dePaola still makes time for his own adaptations of the more familiar children's stories. Tomie dePaola's Favorite Nursery Tales includes selections from the works of HC Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, Aesop and others. My First Mother Goose aims at the youngest readers with such classics as Humpty Dumpty and Little Miss Muffet.
But his versions of obscure cultural myths are not only the more creative and compelling of dePaola's folkloric offerings, they are also among the most important of his works. For, as one blogger stated of the Blackbird Days tale, "sharing the legend keeps tradition from being forgotten." Tomie dePaola has shared these wonderful stories with countless fans the world over.
Sources:
- Tomie dePaola: His Art & Stories, Barbara Elleman (1999)
- Tomie's Blog: Questions and Answers
Special thanks to Meaghan Morgan-Puglisi for access to her extensive dePaola library.
