Too Many Leprechauns: Or How That Pot o' Gold Got to the End of the Rainbow [Hardcover]

Stephen Krensky (Author), Dan Andreasen (Illustrator)

Book Description

On St. Patrick's Day, leprechauns are lucky. But on every other day of the year, they make for noisy neighbors -- and they're turning the entire town of Dingle upside down! Fortunately, Finn O'Finnegan always has a clever plan brewing, and this time, with a little luck of the Irish, it's a scheme that just might fool even the cleverest of creatures.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Those who have wondered how the folklore about leprechauns stashing their treasure at rainbow's end came to be, now have a playful explanation courtesy of Krensky's original tale (with the fitting subtitle, "Or How That Pot o'Gold Got to the End of the Rainbow"). Following a year of fun in Dublin, Finn O'Finnegan, who "looked like a rogue and walked like a rascal," plans to recharge by loafing around his mother's cottage in Dingle. But his plan hits a snag when Finn learns that cobbler leprechauns have been keeping the whole town up at night with all their "infernal tapping," as they craft footwear for the local fairies. Finn, sounding like a judge from Project Runway, insults the leprechauns' style and craftsmanship, inciting their anger and teaching them a trick or two about the transport of fairy gold. Though Krensky's (How Santa Got His Job) magical logic may at times be difficult for younger readers to follow, kids will likely be amused by the proud and cranky leprechauns and trickster Finn. Andreasen's (By the Dawn's Early Light) oil paintings exude loads of Old World–Emerald-Isle charm in scenes of rolling hills dotted with stone walls and thatch-roof cottages. His leprechauns, clad in natty green hats and suits, and shod with (well made, no doubt) buckle shoes, prove a memorable clan. Ages 4-6. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4—Wry humor and lyrical dialogue make this story great fun to read aloud. Unfortunately, the text does not always provide sufficient context to explain some of the plot elements. Finn O'Finnegan returns to his village after a long absence and notices that "something was clearly amiss." It is an oil painting that reveals what: a cow is being served milk, a hen is staring at fried eggs, and a pig is taking a bubble bath. Finn's mother complains that some noisy leprechauns who are making fairy shoes are disturbing her sleep with their "tap-tap-tap," so the young man devises a clever scheme to outwit them. He angers the leprechauns when he finds fault with every one of their shoes, so they show him their stash of gold to prove that they make fine products. However, the story does not explain how the leprechauns can find their gold at will, and at the end of a rainbow, when there is no reference to moisture in either the text or illustration. Nevertheless, the clever Finn makes their gold disappear (or does he?) and strikes a bargain: "If you promise to leave Dingle and never trouble us again, I'll return your gold." Additional humorous visuals show the increasingly annoyed leprechauns searching high and low for their treasure. Purchase as needed.—Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma County Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (January 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068985112X
• ISBN-13: 978-0689851124
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #312,435 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:

5.0 out of 5 stars CAN AN IRISHMAN OUTWIT A LEPRECHAUN?, March 12, 2010

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Too Many Leprechauns: Or How That Pot o' Gold Got to the End of the Rainbow (Hardcover)

The story begins:

Finn O'Finnegan looked like a rogue and walked like a rascal, so it was widely thought that he was at least one of the other. And his shadow, which followed him closely and knew all of his secrets, might have said he was both."

What an enchanting funny story this one is. When Finn returns to his village after a stay in Dublin, he finds not all is well. It seem that the Leprechauns have been keeping the entire village, including his blessed mother, up all night with their constant tapping as they make shoes for the fairies. It seems that the more shoes the leprechauns can make, the more gold they will get, fairy gold, and as everyone knows, leprechauns dearly love their gold!

What to do? The villagers need their sleep, the leprechauns want more gold and Finn is primarily interesting in kicking back and getting fat on his mother's soda bread. A leprechauns may be a crafty little creatures, shrewd little imps of the night and twilight, but they are no match for our rascally and roguish Fin O'Finnegan! He has a plan and the next day he presents himself to the wee workaholics.

What continues is a battle of wits and let's face it, your average leprechaun has no chance against a good Irishman at any time. Needless to say, Finn saves his village and gets his soda bread.

I love the art work in this one. The full page oils by Dan Andreasen are wonderfully executed and I must say that this artist has his Wee People down pat. Children love to just look at the pictures in this one, as you, the adult will. Each painting illustrates the text perfectly.

I must again take umbrage with Publishers weekly and feel children will have no trouble what so ever in understanding the magical logic Finn uses to trick the leprechauns...hey, this is not rocket science stuff here and any kid worth his salt knows more about such things than we adults do anyway. I also note that the School Library Journal is carping that the text does not explain the appearance of the rainbow as there is no mention of moisture. Well to begin with, this is a fantasy Library people...you don't have to have a scientific reason for throwing in a rainbow and I doubt if many kids of the targeted age will lose much sleep over this. But in any case, you are wrong. If you will note that in the morning when Finn pulls his trick that "the mist still lay heavy on the air." Finn has thee leprechauns hurry to the field before the sun came out so he could catch the first rays. Hey folks, read the book before you write the review please! Besides, this work is not part of the curriculum of science 101...who cares?

All in all this is a wonderful March tale which is actually good for any time of the year. I like this one and is equal to any of the other work this author and artist have turned out...which is all quite good.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pick not just for March but for year-round fun leisure reading., April 13, 2007

By 

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

This review is from: Too Many Leprechauns: Or How That Pot o' Gold Got to the End of the Rainbow (Hardcover)

Dan Andreasen provides whimsical, fun drawings for TOO MANY LEPRECHAUNS, OR HOW THAT POT O' GOLD GOT TO THE END OF THE RAINBOW. Leprechauns may be lucky on St. Patrick's Day, but on every other day they are noisy neighbors and they are causing chaos in the town of Dingle. But Finn has plans for curing the trouble, making TOO MANY LEPRECHAUNS a pick not just for March but for year-round fun leisure reading.

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever and colorful in illustration and written word, March 8, 2011

By 

J. Olsen (UT, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Too Many Leprechauns: Or How That Pot o' Gold Got to the End of the Rainbow (Hardcover)

I went to a local bookstore known for its children's book department looking for a book to read my grandchildren for St. Patrick's Day. First I browsed through them all to see which illustrations were the most appealing. I kept coming back to this one, and then when I read the story I was sold. In the style of a folk tale, this book has the total package--clever story and eye-catching illustrations, that explain how leprechaun gold ended up at the end of a rainbow. No matter where you open the book there is at least one full-page, lushly colored illustration. I love the page where Finn, the main character, returns home after a year in Dublin and sees that "something is clearly amiss." In this illustration a farmer with closed eyes is pouring a saucer of milk for his cow, has placed two fried eggs in front of his hen and his pig is plopped in a galvanized tub full of bubbles. What could the matter be? Finn soon finds out from his mother and that is when he hatches his plan to trick the leprechauns, for a change.
The jacket indicates it is for ages 4-6, but my eight-year-old grandson enjoyed it every bit as much as the 4 and 6 year-olds.