Review by Booklist Review
Ages 4^-8. Renowned author-illustrator dePaola is fond of all things Irish and partial to lovable rascals. And, as his many books reveal, he possesses a warmth and humor that reaches out to children. These qualities are once again apparent in his latest picture book about Jamie O'Rourke, the laziest man in Ireland. The minute his wife, Eileen, leaves home, Jamie and cronies Michael, Patrick, and Seamus have "a fine old time." But who will clean up the mess they made? Looking at the mess simply makes Jamie tired, so he goes to bed. He's awakened by a pooka, a strange donkeylike creature that walks on two legs and proceeds to clean the entire house before dawn. How Jamie manages to squander such a perfect arrangement brings this original folk tale to its humorous conclusion. Jamie's jovial shiftlessness is affectionately depicted in dePaola's timeless, decorative style. An explanatory note at the book's end offers the mythological natural history of pookas. --Tim Arnold
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Lazy but lovable Jamie O'Rourke, last seen harvesting a spectacular spud in Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato, returns in this dandy original Irish folktale. When Jamie's wife goes to visit her sister for a few days, she leaves a well-stocked larder: "All you'll have to do," she tells him, "is the washin' up each night and give a quick swipe of the broom every now and then." Never one to do a lick of work, Jamie doesn't lift a finger, even when he and his cronies make a walloping mess. While Jamie sleeps, a mysterious donkey-like creature creeps in and quickly puts the place in tip-top shape. Jamie soon discovers the creature is a pooka, an animal spirit atoning for misdeeds in a past life. Thinking to spur on the pooka with an added incentive, Jamie gives him a present--but the pooka leaves the cottage forever, rewarded for its work. DePaola's jaunty storytelling pace and his snappy Irish phrases give this tale extra sparkle. A master of vibrant acrylics that brim with child appeal, dePaola evokes the rolling countryside and earthy settings of the Emerald Isle of yore. From cozy to rollicking to suspenseful, he changes mood and scene with ease. Jamie's high-spirited pals exhibit a liberal wearin' o' the green and an endless taste for cider, which may fall under stereotype in some minds, but is all in good fun here. Ages 4-8. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-Still no more energetic than in Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato (Putnam, 1992), the laziest man in Ireland has the perfect plan for keeping his cottage tidy while his wife is away-he'll simply stay in bed and get up only to eat. When his pals arrive with a jug of cider and hearty appetites, Jamie finds himself with a messy cottage and the exhausting prospect of cleaning up. During the night, a pooka comes and clears away all evidence of the evening's party. The donkeylike creature returns each night to tidy up. Curious, Jamie asks why he is being so kind. He explains that he is being punished for laziness in a past life. Jamie is moved to perform a kind deed in return, which he immediately regrets-the pooka is now free and the indolent man is left alone just in time for Eileen to return to the mess. In some scenes, dePaola's liquid acrylic paintings spill over their frames onto the white space surrounding them. Particularly frenzied activity, like the pooka's midnight house cleaning, is depicted in multiple frames that resemble a comic strip. The pooka, with his wild yellow eyes and toothy grimace, looks sinister enough to satisfy young readers who enjoy a scare, while Jamie's cat's and dog's facial expressions reflect their owner's changing moods. A concluding author's note explaining the story's origins in Irish folklore is a satisfying addition to an enjoyable original tale.-Ginny Gustin, Santa Monica Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Primary) It seems Jamie O'Rourke hasn't changed at all since Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato, dePaola's first story about ""the laziest man in all of Ireland."" While his wife Eileen is away, Jamie's three friends stop by with a jug of cider to keep him company. They have a grand time, but Jamie is left with a mess. Too tired to tackle the job, Jamie goes straight to bed but is awakened by a creature who bursts in the door and begins scrubbing and scouring from top to bottom, leaving as abruptly as he came. The same thing happens the next night, and Jamie realizes that with this pooka, or animal spirit (who resembles a long-eared, grimacing donkey), doing his housework, he can have his ""cronies here every night...that is, until Eileen comes home."" DePaola tells this cheerful original Irish tale in a lighthearted tone; his cozy, colorful illustrations are a good match for the unassumingly rhythmic text. The pooka's true identity (a kind of gentler Jacob Marley) provides a spirit warning for Jamie-but the lazy man never learns. A good-humored tale about the folly of counting on someone else (especially a pooka) to do your work. An author's note at the back of the book provides a bit of background. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
