Childrens Book Review: Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka by Tomie DePaola

Jamie O'Rourke and his wife, Eileen, live in Ireland. Eileen wishes to spend a week visiting with her sister who has a new baby. Eileen leaves their home nice and clean and even pre-cooks and stores her husband's meals for the week. All she asks him to do is clean up after himself each night and sweep the floor. Eileen leaves to visit her sister while Jamie, lazy as he is, decides to go to bed. He feels that if he stays in bed, he will not be cluttering up the cottage. Three friends come to visit with Jamie. They bring cider and ask Jamie for dishes and food. They enjoy a nice visit, but Jamie's friends leave him to clean up the mess all by himself. Jamie leaves the mess and goes to bed. During the night, a donkey-like animal comes into the cottage. It is a Pooka. He cleans up the mess and leaves. The next morning, Jamie's three friends come back with more Cider. Jamie tells them that he got up early and cleaned up the mess. Jamie and his friends have more cider and feast again. Once again, the three friends leave the mess for Jamie to clean up all by himself. Instead of cleaning up the mess, Jamie goes back to bed and waits for the Pooka to return. Once again, the Pooka returns. Jamie has his friends over every night. Every night they make a mess. Every night they leave Jamie to clean up the mess. Every night Jamie goes to bed and waits on the Pooka to return. Every night, the Pooka returns and cleans up the mess.

One night, Jamie decides to ask the Pooka why he continues to return to clean up after him and his three messy friends. The Pooka tells Jamie it is punishment he received for he was once a lazy servant. He tells Jamie he doesn't mind, but he gets cold after he cleans up and goes outside. He asks Jamie for a warm coat.

The next night, Jamie waits for the Pooka to return to clean up the mess he and his messy friends had made, but this time he waits with a nice, warm coat for the Pooka. Jamie helps the Pooka put on the coat. The Pooka thanks Jamie for the coat and then turns to leave without cleaning up the mess. Jamie protests, but the Pooka explains that his punishment ends when someone is happy with his work and rewards him. Since Jamie is happy with the Pook's work and rewards him with the coat, the Pooka's punishment ends . . . before he cleans up the mess.

Eileen returns to discover the mess, but Jamie offers no explanation. He is upset that he rewarded "that ungrateful pooka" too soon.

After reading the story, discuss the consequences of being lazy with the child. Ask questions such as:

Did Jamie O'Rourke have a good attitude or a bad attitude at the end of the story?

Who was really ungrateful? Jamie or the Pooka?

Why do you think Jamie should have been the grateful one at that end of the story?

Are there times when you feel lazy and don't want to do your chores?

Is it right to let someone else do your work for you?

Should we do our work even when we don't feel like it? (Take this opportunity to discuss responsibility.)

How can we avoid feeling lazy?

How might eating healthy foods and getting enough exercise help us have more energy and feel less lazy? (Take this opportunity to discuss proper nutrition and exercise with the child.)

A Pooka, in Irish folktales, is an animal spirit. Read other Irish folktales to your child. Learn about and discuss Irish culture with the child. Be sure to discuss the differences between imaginary stories and real life. Sometimes adults forget that very young children sometimes have difficulty knowing the difference between imaginary stories and reality.

Above all, have fun learning and reading together!

Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka was written and illustrated by Tomie DePaola. The book was published in the year 2000 by G.P. Putnam's Sons.