Fiona's Luck [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Teresa Bateman (Author), Kelly Murphy (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2007

All the luck in Ireland is locked away, sealed with a spell by the greedy leprechaun king. Fiona, a woman of middling importance but uncommon wit, sets out to bring luck back to Ireland by besting the Leprechaun King in a test of cleverness.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A greedy leprechaun king gets his comeuppance at the hands of a clever lass in this plucky Irish folktale. Distressed that free-roaming leprechaun luck was being soaked up by all the "big folk" who had arrived in Ireland, the king of the leprechauns ordered all his people's luck to be gathered and locked in a hidden treasure chest. Alas, they went too far and Ireland suffered its worst luck ever in the form of the potato famine. In short order, a sharp young woman named Fiona hatches a plan to retrieve Irish luck from the leprechauns, a plan that involves outsmarting the wee king with inventive reasoning and a bit of playacting. Bateman's (The Ring of Truth) original story brims with the entertaining hallmarks of folklore and fairytales (e.g., magic, a test of wits, a wish granted). But her wordy writing style often slows the proceedings and may confuse younger readers trying to puzzle out the bargain between Fiona and her leprechaun foil. Murphy's (Boll Weevil Ball) textured mixed-media compositions, in a predominantly dusky palette, keep pace with the action. Freckle-faced Fiona's changeable expressions hint at her scheming and the lively sweet-faced leprechauns flit across the pages. Ages 4-8. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 5—Using the background of the Irish potato famine, Bateman weaves a tale of Irish history and leprechauns, threads it with optimism, and embroiders it with cleverness and luck. At one time, luck was in abundance in Irelandz—until the leprechaun king got angry at the humans for soaking it all up. Using a spell, he steals it away. The people fall on hard times, and Fiona uses her wits to get it back from the wily king. Murphy's illustrations are richly toned and evocative. Some are spreads, full of color in a folk-art style; on other pages, the smaller spot illustrations highlight the details in the story. Each page is a harmonious blend of artwork and text, which makes the story an engaging read-aloud, and it's also accessible to young readers. Children will love this tale, particularly the facial expressions on Fiona and the small people who surround her, and they'll delight in the young woman's cleverness and quick thinking.—Luella Teuton, Western Kentucky University College of Education, Bowling Green, KY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing (January 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570916519
• ASIN: B0013JFC9Q
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,579,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good message for all of us, February 28, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fiona's Luck (Hardcover)

Once, there was luck floating in the air all over Ireland for anyone to grab when they needed it, thanks to the leprechauns. When humans came, however, the luck stuck to them more than to anyone else and the leprechaun king became worried that there wouldn't be enough luck left for the leprechauns. He sent out his people to collect the luck so he could keep it safe, but they followed his orders too well and collected all the luck, not just the leprechaun luck. There was not a drop of luck to be found in Ireland at all.

Things got very bad. The Irish had no milk, no eggs, and no potatoes. All they had was a woman named Fiona. She wasn't lucky or strong, but she was smart and clever and she found a way to make everyone think she had luck. Rumors flew about Fiona's good fortune and when the leprechaun king heard them, he wanted Fiona's luck for his own.

Thus began the challenge of luck versus wit. The leprechaun king tried to take Fiona's luck and Fiona tried to trick the leprechaun king into releasing the luck for all of Ireland to use again.

Fiona's Luck is a delightful novel for young readers. The pictures are vibrant and well-drawn, with clever details that children will notice. Young children will enjoy looking at the pictures and listening as someone reads Fiona's Luck to them, while slightly older children will enjoy reading the story for themselves.

Bateman keeps the vocabulary in the story simple, but she doesn't talk down to her readers and she doesn't hesitate to use more challenging words such as "trice" or "forfeit" when the story calls for it. Children in the recommended range (4-8 years old) should understand most of the words used, but Fiona's Luck will likely also provide an opportunity to expand their vocabulary slightly.

The story and illustrations are entertaining enough that adults will enjoy reading Fiona's Luck with children.

Armchair Interview says: This is a well-written, well-drawn, fun story that shows the importance of relying on yourself rather than trusting to luck.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ABSOLUTELY A MAGICAL READ. There is a haunting aspect to this work that will stick with you., November 18, 2009

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fiona's Luck (Hardcover)

Before I get into the actual review of this work, please allow me a very short rant. I noted that that a review from Publisher's weekly felt "that the wordy writing style often slows the proceedings and may confuse younger readers trying to puzzle out the bargain between Fiona and her leprechaun foil." Of the many, many absolutely ludicrous statements I have read in Publishers Weekly reviews over the years, this one has to take the cake. It is attitudes such as this that is causing the slow but sure dumbing-down of our children. Now you can ask anyone who knows me and they will assure you that I am certainly not the sharpest knife in the drawer...never have been, but I can well remember being read all of the original fairy tales of the Brother's Grimm, without illustrations, when I was no more than four years old and understood them perfectly. Talk about wordy writing style! No, the problem lies at the feet of extremely lazy adults that do not want to be bothered with reading a story properly to a child. Kids are far, far brighter than many adults of today give them credit for. It is attitudes such as this, attitudes that have been with us a number of years now, that have cause the question of "why Johnnie can't read" to be asked, and is the reason that many high school graduates cannot read above a seventh grade reading level. It is also the reason we have people of such low caliber talking trash at Publishers Weekly; they obviously were not challanged enough as children.

Well thank you for the opportunity to get that out of my system, and now on with the review...

Fiona's Luck, by Teresa Bateman and illustrated by Kelly Murphy was first published in 2007 and there have been precious few books of this quality, both textual and artistic to match it since. It is an original tale, a folktale if you will, set in Ireland in the old days. It would seem that at one time the Irish had all the luck they needed and all was well and all prospered.

Now a particularly greedy and selfish leprechaun king noted this luck the Irish were having and was disturbed that all of the luck was being soaked up by the big people. This greedy king sent his leprechauns out, weaving fine golden and magic strands into nets and captured all the luck and hid it in a great chest deep in his hidden thrown room in a large wooden chest.

The luck had been taken from the Irish and cows stopped giving milk, chickens stopped laying eggs and the potatoes rotten in the fields. "The land of Ireland fell into a time of great misfortune." All were in a state of despair; all but one young girl by the name of Fiona who decided to find where the luck had been taken and wrest of from the king...not through force, but via the use of her wits and wits alone.

Enough of the plot now as I do not want to ruin the book for you with spoilers.

The text of this story is very near perfect in my opinion. It uses a fairytale mode yet it is smoothly done and follows a wonderfully crafted line of thought. There is a certain magic in the rhythm of the words which goes quite well with the story line and blends further into the mode of a story teller setting by a fire on a winter's eve. The syntax is an absolute delight to the ear when read aloud and if the listener should squint their eyes just a bit, not one illustration would be needed with this book. But thank goodness this is not the case here!

The art work by Kelly Murphy is just that...art work! She has used acrylic, watercolor, and gel medium to cast a spell on the beholder. It is difficult to use the words "richness" and "subdued" to describe a painting but those are the only words I can think of. The paintings are absolutely haunting. They change from mood to mood as the story progresses. When we get to the part of the text where "The land of Ireland fell into a time of great misfortune," the reader will come close to having tears in their eyes. On the other hand, when Fiona outwits the greedy king and returns home, the happiness of the young girl, her dog and even a cow simply flow from the painting. Did I mention the fact that I felt this was one of the best illustrated books to come along in years?

Text and painting blend perfectly. This is a wonderful read aloud book for the class room. It is one I personally have had great success with (yes, Publisher's Weekly...the preschoolers have understood the story perfectly each and every time).

And oh by the way; there is a wonderful moral lesson thrown into this story that even the dullest adult will be able to pick up on; that is the fact that using ones wits rather than trusting to luck will work each and every time.

Recommend this one highly.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming original story, beautifully illustrated by artist Kelly Murphy., May 12, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fiona's Luck (Hardcover)

Irish-American author Teresa Bateman presents Fiona's Luck, a delightful children's picturebook weaving a fantastic fable of cleverness. When luck vanishes from Ireland - hens give no eggs, cows give no milk, and potatoes rot in the ground - young Fiona deduces that leprechauns have stolen the luck of the Irish, and improvises a plan to get their attention and restore luck to the people, using her own knowledge of leprechaun law. Though Fiona acknowledges the value of luck, she chooses to depend upon her wits first and foremost, in this charming original story, beautifully illustrated by artist Kelly Murphy.