Signed edition

Cute and mildly charming. ( )

Strega Nona has been dreaming about her Grandma Concetta at the seashore and realizes that though she is in heaven, Grandma Concetta is trying to tell Strega Nona that she needs a vacation. So she leaves Bambolona to take care of her clients general needs and Big Anthony to attend to the animals and property. After some days at the seashore, Strega Nona sends gifts to her friends - bubble bath for Bambolona and candy for Big Anthony. However, Bambolona wants the candy so she switches the tags. Of course, Big Anthony, unaccustomed to bubble bath, uses the entire bottle and floats through the village.

What fun for the reader as well as Strega Nona! ( )

When Strega Nona begins to dream that her Grandma Concetta is summoning her to the old house by the seashore, where they used to holiday together, the kindly witch decides that it is time for a vacation. She enjoys her time away from the little town in Calabria, but when she sends gifts for Bambolona and Big Anthony, and Bambolona (wanting sweets rather than bubblebath) switches the gift tags, chaos ensues. Soon the town is engulfed in bubblebath, and Strega Nona must be summoned to set things to rights...

The eighth picture-book devoted to the adventures of the 'grandmother witch' and her assistants, Big Anthony and Bambolona, Strega Nona Takes a Vacation has the same good sense of humor to be found in the earlier titles, although there are no magical contretemps this time around. I had to giggle when the town mayor, seeing Big Anthony being borne along by a tide of bubbles, declared "not again," as this harkened back to the original story, in which Strega Nona's bumbling assistant let an unending stream of pasta loose on the town. Recommended to fans of this grandmotherly witch, and to picture-book readers who enjoy humorous stories. ( )

This Strega is delightful and I can't wait to track down her 20 other books. ( )