• Age: 5 to 8
• Grade: k to 3

A perfect Halloween read for kids 4-8, this otherworldly book shares a letter from Befana, the winter witch.

Befana is a remarkable character from Italian folklore. On the 6th of January, she flies on a broom through the icy winter sky to visit children and bring them presents. In this stunningly illustrated book, Befana shares her secrets in a letter to all children: how she wears her warmest cloak for the journey, and sips a special soup that makes her invisible when visiting homes. She fills the stockings of some children with sweets, but leaves lumps of coal in others. For people of all ages, she brings the most precious gift of all: the promise of Spring, and nature’s rebirth.

This enchanting story provides:

• Backmatter with facts about Befana and other winter witch traditions
• A conversation starter about different holiday and winter traditions around the world
• Enchanting illustrations that capture the magic of Befana and the beauty of winter
• Insight into Italian folklore for kids

Destined to become a treasured part of holiday traditions, kids will ask to be read Yours, Befana again and again.

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Elenia Beretta's profile page

Genni Gunn is an author, musician and translator. Born in Trieste, she came to Canada as a child. She has published fourteen books: four novels -- The Cipher, Solitaria (longlisted for the Giller Prize), Tracing Iris (made into a film, The Riverbank), and Thrice Upon a Time (finalist for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize); three short story collections -- Permanent Tourists (finalist for the ReLit Prize), Hungers, and On the Road; three poetry collections -- Accidents (finalist for the Di Cicco Poetry Prize), Faceless, and Mating in Captivity (finalist for the Gerald Lampert Award); and a collection of personal essays, TRACKS: Journeys in Time and Place (finalist for the CNFC Reader's Choice Award). As well, she has translated from Italian three collections of poems by two renowned Italian authors: Text Me by Corrado Calabro, and Traveling in the Gait of a Fox (finalist for the Premio Internazionale Diego Valeri for Literary Translation) and Devour Me Too (finalist for the John Glassco Translation Prize) by Dacia Maraini. Three of Gunn's books have been translated into Italian and Dutch.

As well as books, she has written an opera libretto, Alternate Visions, produced by Chants Libres in 2007 (music by John Oliver), and projected in a simulcast at The Western Front in Vancouver; her poem, "Hot Summer Nights" has been turned into classical vocal music by John Oliver, and performed internationally. Before she turned to writing full-time, Gunn toured Canada extensively with a variety of bands (bass guitar, piano and vocals). Since then, she has performed at hundreds of readings and writers' festivals. Gunn has a B.F.A. and an M.F.A. from the University of British Columbia. She lives in Vancouver.

Genni Gunn's profile page

“Will certainly add color to a school or home exploration of holiday traditions around the world."
—Booklist

“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.”
—Publishers Weekly

“[With] shimmering images… a charming vintage cinematic feel….Intriguing, a refreshingly original Yuletide tale."
—Kirkus Reviews