Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My students love this book!, August 31, 2008
I've read this book to my second graders for the last two years. They just love it, they keep asking when I can read more. It is especially fun to use an Irish accent! The book is not just entertaining... it also has some great moral lessons woven in.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
How The Wee Folk Were Bested, July 14, 2004
I have really become quite a Mollie Hunter fan. This on is titled THE SMARTEST MAN IN IRELAND and like last many others this book touches heavily on Irish myth and legend. Patrick Kentigern Keenan claims he is the smartest man in Ireland. He might very well be but he wants to prove it. In order to prove that he is as he claims, Patrick attempts to outsmart the fair folk. He begins by trying to trick a leprechaun but does not succeed as well as he would like. Several schemes later he is no closer to proving his case. But then his young son is enchanted by the Fairy Queen and is being held captive. Utilizing his knowledge of legend, Patrick prepares himself for a confrontation on the Fairy's home ground. In the end Patrick not only outsmarts the fair folk, but he neutralizes their power in the land. When the local townsmen set out to disprove his claims they find that he was telling the truth and they are forced to admit that he really is the smartest man in Ireland. A very entertaining and quick read with plenty of good honest Irish lore. It is a pleasure to read a story based on so simple and Irish concept without getting bogged down the way so many modern Celtic fantasies do. THE SMARTEST MAN IN IRELAND was first released in 1962 but has recently been reissued by Magic Carpet Books. So if you like tale of the mischievous wee folk, you should take a look at this book. It's worth it!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great for boys and girls (and men and women)!, September 14, 2009
Wow! I read this to my eight year old daughter, and we loved it. It really should be reprinted to make it more available. Plenty of action. Passages are variously funny, foreboding, beautiful, absorbing, exhilarating, even a bit scary perhaps (the fairies are not exactly nice to the protagonist, for example). Before we started I told my daughter that the book was based on stories told long ago in Ireland, and the leprechauns and fairies might be rather different than she expects! The characters are great. In addition to Patrick, you gotta love Bridget, too. Patrick's more-sensible better half has her own great sense of humor. It's nice to see some growth in wisdom for both through the pages in a young person's book. Eight chapters; the first four each have a whole adventure in itself (good stopping points), with the last two adventures using two chapters each. The sentence structure was sometimes a little unusual (for me), which made it more interesting than most kids' books to read aloud. I think this book would be equally enjoyed by boys and girls (and men and women) -- something for everyone!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|