Tomie dePaola Forever Stamps, 2023 Sheet – Cards, Letters and Stamp Collecting

The stamp art features a detail from the cover of Strega Nona. The first in a series, the book was published in 1975 and received a Caldecott Honor as one of the most distinguished picture books published that year. Set in southern Italy, the gently humorous story focuses on Strega Nona, “Grandma Witch,” who uses magic to help with matters of the heart and to cure her neighbors’ ills. The cover shows Strega Nona carrying her magic pasta pot. The small pink heart in the bottom right corner symbolizes the key ingredient to all of her magic: love.

Whatever the subject, dePaola’s illustrations are instantly recognizable. Characterized by bright but muted tones and flat, two-dimensional perspective, they offer a distinctive mix of Romanesque painting styles and traditional folk art. Simple shapes and bold, clean lines belie complex compositions. Objects that meant the most to dePaola — notably hearts and white birds — recur throughout his work.