Customer Reviews

Daniel O'Rourke: An Irish Tale (Viking Kestrel picture books)

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Theme
This book has one central theme. That is be good to other people or you will get what you deserve. This is demonstrated several times. ... BR>Plot
The plot of this book is simple and follows a logical pattern of thought. Daniel falls into a stream after having a good time at the party. He gets rescued and then punished for misdeeds until he wakes up. Then he learns from his actions.
Characterization
The characterization is rather lacking in this book because that is secondary to the theme of the book. Daniel seems portrayed in a conflicting manor. He views himself as good and his mother seems to treat him nicely but this stands in marked contrast to the rest of the characters who punish him in some way.
Setting
The setting in the story is not very important. It sets the most of the events in the story. This story could make sense if it was set in another country and Pookas were changes to something else.
Point of View
The point of view this story is told from Daniel O'Rourke's point of view. This adds some confusion to the story as Daniel's view of himself does not match with other people's perception of himself.
Other Assessment
The pictures in this book beautifully done. The artistry is almost worth buying the book alone. The composition is wonderful. The artist knows how to draw the eye fluidly across a page.
This story is labeled as an Irish tale. The names could be changed and this story could be universal to almost any culture. This one of the aspects about this book which is disappointing.
Another aspect which makes this story some what disappointing is the pictures do not always seem to match the text. The book will mention that Daniel fell into the stream but the picture will have what look to be leprechauns laughing at Daniel as he falls in. This happens about three times. Because of the brevity of the book, these three occurrences are very noticeable and annoying.