HIT: Strega Nona call number

[Julia Anne Colvin <colvin@AAPS.K12.MI.US>]

While most respondants classified Strega Nona as a folktale, some
differences were interesting enough (to me) to justify a posting of some:

Hi,
  The original title page said "an old tale retold" which apparently led LC
to consider it  a "folktale."   Tomie has said that it is based on an old
folktale "The Magic Porridge Pot" (my copy is by Paul Galdone) but that he
changed it, creating the characters of Strega Nona and Big Anthony.  He does
not consider it a folktale.   Apparently the new title page is more accurate
but LC didn't change the call number.  I redid mine to "E" after asking
dePaola about it.
Joanne Proctor


Strega Nona is an Italian folk tale character.  This story he did not
create.  The sequels were created by DePaola.
Bob Koreis


Technically, the subject is Folklore - Italy and the story that dePaola
wrote is based on a Folktale...therefore it should have been 398.2
originally ...however, we have all of our versions cataloged as E  video
tape, big book and small....
When we look at LC classification, we just consider it a suggestion, not an
actual classification...besides, every librarian makes her/his own
determination about class....
Do they actually have someone at LC who answers "why" questions?
<grin>
Roselle Weiner


I believe Library of Congress originally thought it was taken from
Italian Folklore but Me de Paulo stated very early on that he made the
character up somewhat based on one of his grandmothers.  Later Strega
Nona stories are classed in Easy.  LC doesn't always change its mistakes
and they are not always correct when they catalog.  I was fortunate to
hear Mr. de Paula speak about 13 years ago where laughing told about
people saying how glad he had revived the Strega Nona legends when he
had made them up. I went back to my library system and changed the call
number.  I moved on to a new system in 1989  and got their numbers
changed and here I am in a third system changing the call number again.
Sally  S.  Ellis

Thanks to all who replied. I learned so much more than the answer to my
original question! -- Anne


Anne Colvin, Librarian
Mitchell Elementary School
Ann Arbor, MI

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