He gave us Strega Nona, The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush, The Art Lesson, and many, many more wonderful books. Beloved children’s author and illustrator, Tomie dePaola, passed away today after complications from a head injury.
The world has lost a great and wonderful artist/story teller and tonight I’d just like for us to take a minute and appreciate his life and his works.
Although I have many, this (The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush) is my very favorite Tomie dePaola book. I used it every all during Native American studies when I taught in a Montessori school.
Picture from Schooltimesnippets.com
I would read the story to introduce Native America pictographs. Then the students would take their animal skin (crinkled up grocery bag) and create a Native American story using those pictographs (similar to the ones in the picture below). When the skins were done, we would hole punch them and using brown cord or yarn, sting them onto tiny sticks at the top and bottom.
Picture from Education.com
When the skins were done, we would hole punch them and using brown cord or yarn, sting them onto tiny sticks at the top and bottom. (Most were about 3′ long by 2′ high.)
Similar to one of the Native American skin paintings we did when I taught.
May this story and this craft idea inspire you to take a look into the life and work of Tomie dePaola and if you are so inclined to do so, pay your respects for his many contributions to children’s literature.
RIP Tomie dePaola.
