1) Product Description
Studio: New Video Group Release Date: 06/29/2004 Run time: 63 minutes Rating: Nr

2) Amazon.com
Scholastic continues its well-crafted video adaptations of award-winning children's picture books in this trio of classic folktales. Tomie dePaola's Strega Nona tells the tale of an old, eccentric witch and her magical cooking pot that provides a hearty lesson for a young lad. Simms Taback writes, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, the endearing fable of a kindly man and his beloved coat, both of which take on new life as they age--providing the delightful reminder that you can make something from nothing. Finally, Marcia Brown's tale of three savvy soldiers has charmed readers for more than a quarter century. Stone Soup is the ingenuous concoction of these soldiers when they visit a town bringing nothing but wits to feast on. Each story is an animated replica of its printed predecessor. The collection also includes a bonus story and the option to read along or hear a couple of the stories in Spanish. (Ages 3 to 10) --Lynn Gibson

1) Great Stories...well done   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I recently ordered the Scholastic Treasury of 100 Classic Stories DVDs. Since I was impatient to get the order, I went to the library and checked out the Strega Nona DVD. This is a wonderful, lovely collection of stories. My favorite is "Joseph Had a Little Overcoat" from an old Yiddish song. I love that the story teaches how to be frugal, and how to make "something" out of "nothing". (You will have to read or see this story to understand what I mean). The book is worth buying too with interesting "cut outs", and even includes the song that inspired the book. "Stone Soup" also teaches how to make "something" out of "nothing", and that if everyone shares you can come up with something rather grand. One reviewer pointed out how "Stone Soup" lacked some of the action, and colorful illustrations of the other stories, but it is true to the original book which was written about fifty years ago."Strega Nona" is delightful! She is a wise, old woman, even if she is a witch (which I'm not fond of), but the story is set in Italy, and is a good folk tale.Check out the Bonus stories. This is a great addition to your child's video collection.

2) Fun for everyone   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
Grand kids love this story, so they really enjoyed seeing it come to life. Other folk tales on this DVD were also enjoyed. Great way to add fun to books they have read.

3) teacher's dream   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Great telling of Tomie dePaola story, as well as other award winners. I used this for my library classes, grades 1-3. Very accurate telling, sometimes I read the book aloud, then show the video. Children usually want to read a Tomie dePaola book after the lesson!!!

4) DVD misses the best part of the book   [Rating: 3 out of 5]
I read the Stega Nona series to my 10 year old when he was little and relished sharing it again with my 3-year-old. The first book, Strega Nona, was the best of the series and when we saw this DVD adaptation, we were very excited to watch. However, the story misses singing or even reading the "pasta pot" song. This was the best part of our reading and my kids enjoyed singing it with me during story hour. The video brings to life a wonderful story, but misses our favorite part of the book. Great alternative to Dora, but will not replace story time.

5) Great DVD, higly recommend it!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
My 3.5-year-old daughter loves this DVD. It is well done and you really can't go wrong with such a great book to begin with.