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Preschool Book Review - Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka
Written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola
From the Preschool Book
“Jamie O’Rourke” Eileen said. “Wake up. I’ve something to tell you.” Jamie, who was the laziest man in all of Ireland, was sleeping in the warm sun outside their cottage. His wife gave him a shake. “Wake up, wake up, for heaven’s sake,” Eileen said again.About the Preschool Book
Jamie O’Rourke really is the laziest man in all of Ireland. His wife has to leave to visit his sister and leaves Jamie with a larder full of food and instructions on how to keep the house clean while she is gone. As soon as she leaves, Jamie’s three friends arrive to keep him company and make a big mess. Of course Jamie gets tired just by looking at the mess and goes to bed. In the middle of the night, a pooka comes to clean it up.From the Reviewer - Molly Christensen
Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka is a humorous story. The story is fairly short, and well-written so it holds a preschooler’s attention. And of course Tomie dePaola’s pictures are always a treat. Preschoolers find it funny that a mean-looking donkey (the pooka) is the one doing the cleaning.
Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka is a great Irish folktale. Exposing your child to folktales from different cultures really helps broaden your preschooler’s horizons. In Irish folktales, a pooka is an animal spirit that can come in many forms such as a horse, a goat, or an eagle. The pooka in this tale was a lazy servant, and when he died he had to come back to earth as a pooka to make up for all the work he didn’t do when he was alive.
Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka offers a good lesson. There’s a surprise ending to this tale, so you’ll have to read it to find out what happens. The story offers a good lesson in laziness and selfishness. It can open up a good discussion with your preschooler whether or not you think Jamie was justified in feeling like he did at the ending.This is the second book about Jamie O’Rourke. If you want to read more about Jamie, he first appeared in Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato.
Book Details
Title: Jamie O’Rourke and the PookaReading Level: Ages 4 - 8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile; Reprint edition (January 14, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN: 069811924X
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