Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka (Picture Puffins) [Mass Market Paperback]

Tomie dePaola (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Picture Puffins

When Jamie O'Rourke's wife leaves him alone for a week, it's up to Jamie to do the housework. But Jamie isn't just the laziest man in Ireland, he's also the messiest! When a magical pooka arrives unexpectedly and starts to do the dishes and sweep the house, Jamie thinks that maybe he's the luckiest man in Ireland as well. But will Jamie's good fortune-and his pooka's housekeeping-last? Young readers will be giggling through Tomie dePaola's delightfully funny sequel to Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato.

"DePaola's jaunty storytelling pace and his snappy Irish phrases give this tale extra sparkle." Publishers Weekly, starred review

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Jamie O'Rourke, the laziest man in all of Ireland, is back. Last time we saw him, he was confronting a giant leprechaun-charmed potato (Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato). Now, this indolent Irishman has been left in charge of the house while his hard-working, long-suffering wife Eileen goes to visit her sister for a week. In spite of his plan to stay in bed the entire time (thus not "dirtyin' a thing"), Jamie's cronies come by to keep him company and eat up the grub Eileen left behind. Jamie goes back to sleep amid the mess that night, only to awaken to a mysterious donkey-man cleaning the house. Pleased at his good fortune, Jamie continues his slovenly ways all week long, watching the Pooka (Irish animal spirit, as explained in the author's note) sweep and wash every night. But lazy Jamie's luck is just about to run out...

Award-winning author and artist Tomie de Paola has created another lively folk tale based on traditional Irish lore. Young readers will delight in the slothful "hero's" comeuppance, as illustrated in de Paola's charming and inimitable style. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

In a starred review, PW wrote, "Lazy but lovable Jamie O'Rourke returns in this dandy and original Irish folktale." Ages 4-6.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (January 14, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 069811924X
• ISBN-13: 978-0698119246
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #141,325 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"Tomie dePaola was born in Meriden, Connecticut, in 1934 to a family of Irish and Italian background. By the time he could hold a pencil, he knew what his life's work would be. His determination to create books for children led to a BFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and an MFA from the California College of Arts & Crafts in Oakland, California.
It drove him through the years of teaching, designing greeting cards and stage sets, and painting church murals until 1965, when he illustrated his first children's book, Sound, by Lisa Miller for Coward-McCann. Eventually, freed of other obligations, he plunged full time into both writing and illustrating children's books.
He names Fra Angelico and Giotto, Georges Rouault, and Ben Shahn as major influences on his work, but he soon found his own unique style. His particular way with color, line, detail, and design have earned him many of the most prestigious awards in his field, among them a Caldecott Honor Award for Strega Nona, the Smithsonian Medal from the Smithsonian Institution, the Kerlan Award from the University of Minnesota for his ""singular attainment in children's literature,"" the Catholic Library Association's Regina Medal for his ""continued distinguished contribution,"" and the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion. He was also the 1990 United States nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for illustration.
Tomie dePaola has published almost 200 children's books in fifteen different countries. He remains one of the most popular creators of books for children, receiving more than 100,000 fan letters each year.
Tomie lives in an interesting house in New Hampshire with his four dogs. His studio is in a large renovated 200-year-old barn.
- He has been published for over 30 years.
- Over 5 million copies of his books have sold worldwide.
- His books have been published in over 15 different countries.
- He receives nearly 100,000 fan letters each year.
Tomie dePaola has received virtually every significant recognition for his books in the children's book world, including:
- Caldecott Honor Award from American Library Association
- Newbery Honor Award from American Library Association
- Smithson Medal from Smithsonian Institution
- USA nominee in illustration for Hans Christian Andersen Medal
- Regina Medal from Catholic Library Association

"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Good Deed Goes Unpunished....., February 4, 2002

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka (Hardcover)

Jamie O'Rourke is the laziest man in all of Ireland. When his wife, Eileen, visits her sister to help with the new baby, Jamie figures the easiest way to keep the house nice and clean is to stay in bed and rest all week. But when his friends come over with a jug of cider to keep him company, and help him eat all the good food Eileen prepared before she left, they leave quite a mess for Jamie to clean up. "...But the mere sight of the messy cottage made him the most tired man in all of Ireland, as well as the laziest. So he went to bed..." In the middle of the night, Jamie was awakened by a noise. There in the cottage was a donkey-like creature, a pooka, standing on two legs, cleaning and washing and sweeping. Jamie couldn't believe his good fortune. Night after night, all week long, his friends came to have a fine old time eating and laughing and making a terrible mess. And every night after Jamie had gone to sleep, the pooka came and cleaned everything up for him. But never fear, this hard working pooka is just too good to last, and Jamie O'Rourke is about to find out the hard way on the night before Eileen comes home..... Tomie dePaola is back with another delightful and entertaining Jamie O'Rourke misadventure. His easy to read, charming text, based on an old Irish folk tale is only outdone by his very engaging and familiar artwork, and youngsters will enjoy all the wonderful facial expressions and humorous detail in each picture. With an author's note at the end explaining the pooka in Irish folklore, Jamie O'Rourke And The Pooka is an endearing, good time read that's perfect for St Patrick's Day, or any other day of the year. Tomie dePaola is an American treasure. You can never go wrong with one of his books.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Irish version of the shoemaker and the elves, March 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka (Hardcover)

Lazy Jamie O'Rourke wins again as a Pooka cleans up for him when Eileen goes out of town. After days of partying, Jamie spies on and discovers his benefactor. When Jamie rewards him, the Pooka leaves and Jamie must face the wrath of Eileen for the mess in his house.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story with wonderful illustrations!, April 14, 2009

By 

Archie Leach "Archie" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka (Picture Puffins) (Mass Market Paperback)

My boys love me to read this book to them. The traditional Irish character of the Pooka is especially loved by them for his helpfulness and his clever way of getting the laziest man in Ireland, Jamie O'Rourke, to reward him for all his hard work. This reward ultimately frees the Pooka from having to do any more work. (The Pooka had been a lazy man in life, so upon entering the other world -- death -- he was condemned to wander the world toiling for others until someone recognizes and rewards him for his hard work. It is this reward that frees the Pooka from his life of toil.)

Despite their young ages my sons quickly recognized that Jamie O'Rourke was setting himself up to one day be a Pooka because of his own lazy ways. They also figured out how ungrateful Jamie himself was when he accused the Pooka of being ungrateful for not cleaning up the house after he was given the coat. There are several worthwhile lessons to be learned from this story.

The only thing I don't care for in this story is that Jamie's poor wife, Eileen, is clearly the only one in the home that does any work, including cooking and cleaning up after the lazy Jamie. This role is a little too traditional for my tastes since Eileen appears not to complain about being put upon, but I've treated this aspect of the book as a launching point to talk about gender roles and the question of fairness in household chores.