Are Strega Nona Books Okay for Kids to Read?

KE writes: “Strega Nona is a book read at our Catholic school. I hadn’t read it since I was a child. I had forgotten she was a ‘good’ witch who uses spells to cure warts, baldness, etc. That bothered me, but the next sentence sealed the deal. The book reads that even the priests and nuns go to her for help. Am I being overly scrupulous?”

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Did Pope John Paul II Bless Pokemon?

BG writes: “Recently we noticed that several boys in our homeschooling group play with Pokemon and have dozens of card files of these characters . . . . I read your blog post about Pokemon and agree.  However, I also found an article on the internet saying that the wonderful Pope John Paul II gave his blessing to Pokemon saying it was nothing more than fodder for a child’s imagination.  So now I am confused.  Do you have any more information on John Paul’s approval of these toys?  Could the article have been wrong?  Or a fake?  I had an interesting conversation with another homeschooling mom who approves of these toys, and I would like to get my ducks in a row on these issues.”

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