Verified Document

America's Most Prolific Writers Is Essay

The character Strega Nona was included in an number of dePaola's other books as well. Although he has been well-published and received honorary degrees and other honors he has never been able to reach the upper echelons of the literary community. The biggest book awards in children's literature, the Randolph Caldecott Medal for Illustration, the John Newberry Medal for writing, or the National Book Award have never been awarded to him. Additionally, although he has sold millions of books and enjoys popularity with children, he is not without his critics. The primary focus of his critics is that his work is not that creative. These individuals feel that his stories do not address new issues or handle old issues in a new manner. On the other hand there are a great number of persons who see his work as doing a good job of making complicated human issues easier for young children to understand (Mehegan). Similarly, he takes the same approach in his illustrations where he creates characters that are easily recognized by children. Proponents of his books point out that he does a remarkable job of avoiding sexual stereotyping in his stories which may not be understood by his young readers but is appreciated by their parents.

DePaola was raised as a strict Catholic and his religion has remained an important part of his life. Although he abandoned his goal of being a Benedictine monk, he continued to use the symbolism...

Additionally, he remained true to his Italian heritage by naming his characters using Italian phrases and makes frequent references to grandparents as his own grandparents were extremely important to him and influenced his life greatly. In addition to religion, ethnicity, and his family life, dePaola also places significant emphasis in his writings and illustrations on Christmas and other holidays (both religious and secular), old folktales, Bible stories, and Mother Goose rhymes. DePaola's writing style relies heavily upon humor and light hearted illustrations which may explain why his books are so popular with children.
At 77 he remains active and continues to both write and illustrate new books. He was married briefly when he was much younger but has chosen to live alone on his property in New Hampshire where he maintains his writing and artist studio in a large barn. Even in his later years he has remained active traveling around the country promoting his books and speaking at schools and universities about his work in the literary field.

Works Cited

Elleman, Barbara. Tomie dePaola: His Art & His Stories. New York: Putnam Juvenile, 1999.

Mehegan, David. "He Simply Knows his Audience: Tomie dePaola Writes (and writes) for Kids, not for Acclaim." 10 December 2007. Boston.com. 20 May 2011 .

study of Tomie dePaola

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Elleman, Barbara. Tomie dePaola: His Art & His Stories. New York: Putnam Juvenile, 1999.

Mehegan, David. "He Simply Knows his Audience: Tomie dePaola Writes (and writes) for Kids, not for Acclaim." 10 December 2007. Boston.com. 20 May 2011 <http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2007/12/10/he_simply_knows_his_audience/>.

study of Tomie dePaola
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Poetic Themes of Female Writers
Words: 3015 Length: 9 Document Type: Term Paper

Thus, by contrast with Bradstreet's self-imposed humility, Fuller displays a very high-regard for herself, obviously influenced by the Transcendentalist movement which was centered on the self. In her writings and meditations, Fuller makes use of the Transcendentalist philosophy to extol the self and at the same time to promote the equality between men and women, which is a logical consequence of the privileged position of the human being and

Women Writers in the 21st Century Before
Words: 1017 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Women Writers in the 21st Century Before the 20th century, literature was primarily a man's world. Although there were a handful of women authors who became famous, the majority of books were written by men. This all changed with the turning of the 20th century. Women used their voices to express ideas and to tell stories from all matter of genre, from books which dictated etiquette, books which discussed politics, romance

Death in Spanish Literature While
Words: 3683 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

In his novels he focused on characters, motivations, and reactions to the forces around his characters. He realistically examined Spanish politics, economy, religion, and family through the eyes of the middle class, addressing the cruelty of human beings against each another in his novels Miau and Misericordia. Galdos was called the conscience of Spain for his realistic observations of society with all its ills. (Columbia 2005) His plays were

Native American Expressive Culture the
Words: 4153 Length: 15 Document Type: Term Paper

Black Elk utilizes his visions to create understanding of nearly all things he is later exposed to. The discussion in closing will further illuminate his utilization of vision, to ask for help for his people in a time of crisis. To discuss the vertical model of artistic communication it is difficult to narrow the filed to just one example, as Native American literature, and to a lesser degree film have

How the New Deal Shaped Florida S Destiny
Words: 666 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

New Deal Program in Florida Why was the program needed in Florida? Florida's economic boom went downhill despite the growth in the early 1920s. Severe hurricanes damaged a significant part of Florida, including Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and Miami areas. A consequent outbreak of the Mediterranean fruit fly spread across Florida State thereby killing most of the citrus crop. Crop destruction and severe hurricane damages led to the downfall of Florida's

Art Reflecting Life Through Edgar
Words: 1561 Length: 5 Document Type: Thesis

In this story, we find this terror, especially at the end of the story when Fortunato sobers up. Montresor tells us that the cry he hears as he places the final bricks in the wall is "not the cry of a drunk man" (Poe 94). The drunk man and the crazy man are pitted against once another in this tale and there is nothing Fortunato can do when he

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now