July 29, 2024
La Befana, a winter witch from Italian folklore, introduces herself via free verse in this translation of Cuoghi’s enigmatic tribute to the magic of 12th night—when “night hangs motionless between/ the final sigh of the holidays and the return to daily life.” With a wry tone, Befana describes the holiday (“this suspended and magical time in which/ we can even talk to animals”), taking care to distinguish herself from other notable figures (“I have nothing to do/ with that clumsy oaf dressed in red/... don’t ask me for gifts./ I’ll use your little letters to wrap my fish”). Washed in candy colors, Beretta’s shape-based artwork mixes natural motifs with contemporary geometric human-made environments, modernizing the story’s mythic dimensions. Back matter provides clarifying context. Ages 5–8.
September 1, 2024
Grades K-3 This lyrical letter, translated from the Italian, is written in the voice of the Italian ""winter witch"" Befana. Although Befana judges children's behavior and leaves gifts in stockings for the worthy on the twelfth night after Christmas, she cautions that she is nothing like ""that clumsy oaf dressed in red / with his herd of reindeer."" Instead, she describes herself as ""benevolent and fearsome,"" ""all-powerful and unstoppable,"" and ""the ancient earth."" By the end of the letter, the witch has transformed into a sort of nature spirit. Beretta's soft, folk-style illustrations evoke the magic of both winter and Befana. On some pages, sweeping landscapes with tiny figures call to mind Grandma Moses paintings. On others, Befana blends in with abstract renderings of nature. Three pages of panel art offer more facts on Befana and similar women of legend (e.g., Greece's Diana, France's Tante Arie). Non-Italian readers may need additional background knowledge to appreciate the character of Befana, but this book will certainly add color to a school or home exploration of holiday traditions around the world.
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August 15, 2024
A beloved, witchlike figure from Italian Christmas folklore pens a letter to children. Befana has taken on a variety of roles, from searching for the Christ Child to giving gifts on the Epiphany. Here, she writes a missive to children, preparing them for her visit on the eve of January 6, a night that "hangs motionless between the final sigh of the holidays and the return to daily life." She's frank: "I am both benevolent and fearsome." In a withering voice, she makes clear that she has "nothing to do with that clumsy oaf dressed in red with his herd of reindeer." She implores readers to "examine [their] conscience," and she adopts a schoolmarmish voice, directing them to hang their stockings properly; good children will receive sweets, while naughty ones will find coal in their stockings. Befana dishes secrets, too, like how she becomes invisible after sipping "a soup of mandrake, limpets, and giant salamanders." Most importantly, though, she explains that with her annual visit, she brings the gift of spring and new beginnings--"gifts that are not measured in money, to which humans are attached like leeches." Translated from Italian, Cuoghi's poetically pleasurable narrative can be verbose, but Beretta's shimmering gouache images surround those words with a charming, vintage cinematic feel. Four delightful pages of backmatter delve into Befana lore and other winter-witch traditions. Befana is pink-skinned; background characters are diverse. An intriguing, refreshingly original Yuletide tale.(Picture book. 5-8)
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