Rachel’s Reads: A Tribute to Tomie dePaola by Rachel Levine
On March 30, 2020, Tomie dePaola passed away. During a 40-year career, Tomie wrote and illustrated over 260 children’s books. His books included elegant retellings of legends, magical new folktales born from his imagination, ancient spiritual tales, engaging nonfiction, and intimate autobiographical stories. The breadth of his work is impressive, and the emotional impact of his work is unquantifiable. Tomie’s death has left me and his other readers gutted because, through his books, we have come to know him personally. Tomie’s heart shines through his stories. In them, readers find kindness, humor, a love of all that is beautiful, and a little bit of mischievousness. In his autobiographical stories, we got to know his Nana Upstairs, his Nana Downstairs, and his beloved grandpa whom he called Tom. We shared his joy of music and dancing and attended his first dance recital. We waited with Tomie to meet his new baby sister Maureen when she came home from the hospital with a red bow in her hair. It has been a privilege to get to know Tomie dePaola through his work, and a wonderful way to celebrate his life is to read his stories. He spent his life making the world more beautiful, and I trust he’ll make your family’s life a little more beautiful, too. Here are just a few of my favorites!
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Family • May 2020
