1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
De Paola, Tomie. 2000. Jamie O’Rourke and the Pooka. New York, NY: Puffin Books. ISBN 069811924X
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Tomie de Paola has written an original Irish literary folktale about a man named Jamie O’Rourke who is the laziest man in all of Ireland. When Jamie’s wife Eileen leaves to visit her sister for a week, Jamie’s cronies Michael, Patrick, and Seamus, arrive at the house to enjoy a fine old time laughing, eating, and making one fine mess. Jaime gets tired at the sight of the mess and goes to bed when a mystical Irish character called a pooka, comes in to clean up the mess. Jamie feels like a lucky man indeed but how long will this luck last is to be seen.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
De Paola, Tomie. 2000. Jamie O’Rourke and the Pooka. New York, NY: Puffin Books. ISBN 069811924X
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Tomie de Paola has written an original Irish literary folktale about a man named Jamie O’Rourke who is the laziest man in all of Ireland. When Jamie’s wife Eileen leaves to visit her sister for a week, Jamie’s cronies Michael, Patrick, and Seamus, arrive at the house to enjoy a fine old time laughing, eating, and making one fine mess. Jaime gets tired at the sight of the mess and goes to bed when a mystical Irish character called a pooka, comes in to clean up the mess. Jamie feels like a lucky man indeed but how long will this luck last is to be seen.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Tomie de Paola has written his second Irish literary folktale about a protagonist named Jamie O’Rourke. It is a humorous tale of a loveable character who also happens to be a lazy husband. To add cultural mystical humor to this Irish tale, De Paola uses a magical creature called a pooka. The pooka arrives to help Jamie see the error of his ways. Yet this protagonist does not fully comprehend the ramifications of his laziness or his generosity until it is too late. The idiomatic expressions such as, “Saints preserve us,” and “well me lads…let’s grab some grub,” are funny and clear indications of the cultural language.
De Paola painted his illustrations with liquid acrylics depicting the cultural heritage of the Irish. He chose to illustrate the festive Irish friendship through the camaraderie of food, song, and cider. The story’s setting is his cottage that sits among the green rolling hills of Ireland. At times De Paola uses comic boxes that allow for the illustrations to speak for themselves. The pooka is illustrated as an eerie yellow eyed upright standing donkey. The illustrations are pure delight and effectively enhance the stories flow.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklists: And, as his many books reveal, he possesses 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.
Horn Book: DePaola tells this cheerful original Irish tale in a lighthearted tone; his cozy, colorful illustrations are a good match for the unassumingly rhythmic text.
Publishers Weekly: Lazy but loveable Jamie O’Rourke returns in this dandy and original Irish folktale.
5. CONNECTIONS
*Discuss with children about legends and the legend of the pooka. What legends do other cultures have that is considered similar to an Irish pooka?
*Was Jamie O’Rourke as fortunate as he believed to be? Did he learn a lesson? What lesson was the pooka trying to tell him?
* Have children write a new ending to the story.
*Other folktale books:
De Paola, Tomie, Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato. ISBN 039922257X
Heo, Yumi. The Green Frogs: A Korean Folktale. ISBN 0618432280
MacDonald, Margaret. Conejito: A Folktale from Panama. ISBN 0874837790
De Paola painted his illustrations with liquid acrylics depicting the cultural heritage of the Irish. He chose to illustrate the festive Irish friendship through the camaraderie of food, song, and cider. The story’s setting is his cottage that sits among the green rolling hills of Ireland. At times De Paola uses comic boxes that allow for the illustrations to speak for themselves. The pooka is illustrated as an eerie yellow eyed upright standing donkey. The illustrations are pure delight and effectively enhance the stories flow.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklists: And, as his many books reveal, he possesses 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.
Horn Book: DePaola tells this cheerful original Irish tale in a lighthearted tone; his cozy, colorful illustrations are a good match for the unassumingly rhythmic text.
Publishers Weekly: Lazy but loveable Jamie O’Rourke returns in this dandy and original Irish folktale.
5. CONNECTIONS
*Discuss with children about legends and the legend of the pooka. What legends do other cultures have that is considered similar to an Irish pooka?
*Was Jamie O’Rourke as fortunate as he believed to be? Did he learn a lesson? What lesson was the pooka trying to tell him?
* Have children write a new ending to the story.
*Other folktale books:
De Paola, Tomie, Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato. ISBN 039922257X
Heo, Yumi. The Green Frogs: A Korean Folktale. ISBN 0618432280
MacDonald, Margaret. Conejito: A Folktale from Panama. ISBN 0874837790
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