Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato: An Irish Folktale

Rating:
Summary: Plain old fun
Review: I read this book before reading it to my little one and I am glad I did. Not only does it not have a positive message, it is a story of rewarded laziness and greed. And the message is not subtle either, it is all out there in the first line .."Jamie O'Rourke was the laziest man in all of Ireland." -- and he was still so at the end of the book -- and proud of it! The only decent aspect of the book are the illustrations which are very nice, but alas not enough to risk sending a totally wrong message to our children.

Rating:
Summary: Fun fun fun - entertaining book
Review: It is highly important for chidren to read folktales to learn about cultures and history. This includes stories that are just plain fun. I highly disagree with the reviewer here who said this story should be left untold. Not all stories have to have a moral (although IMO, this one had one, but I digress). Some stories illustrate to us what a wonderful, fine sense of humor the Irish had (and still do). Jamey had quite an adventure with the wee folk and his "Prattie". My children loved this book, as did I. We liked the dialogue, including, as I mentioned, Tomie de Paola's using of the Irish "prattie" for potatoe. The long-suffering wife was witty, and poor Jamey O'Rourke was a hoot. After reading the library version, we bought our own copy.

Rating:
Summary: The laziest man in Ireland ends up with a giant pratie
Review: No, you will not find a moral at the end of "Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato," because this Irish folktale is just another bit of proof about the "Luck o' the Irish" you hear tell so much about. Author/illustrator Tomie dePaola first learned this tale on the knee of his Irish grandfather and retells it for new generations of those with roots in the Emerald Isle. Jamie O'Rourke is truly the laziest man in all of Ireland and when his poor wife's back gives out before the potato harvest Jamie has to find a way of avoiding starving during the winter. The good news is that Jamie manages to trap a leprechaun, but the bad news is that instead of receiving a pot of gold Jamie is tricked into wishing for all the potatoes he can eat. Now, I like potatoes as much as the next person, depending on who I happened to be standing next to at the time, but even I know that too much of anything is usually not going to be a good thing. The danger of wee folk reading "Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato" is that they will have a fervent desire to be as lucky as the "hero" of this tale and they will probably not want to eat any potatoes for a while.

Rating:
Summary: The laziest man in Ireland ends up with a giant pratie
Review: No, you will not find a moral at the end of "Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato," because this Irish folktale is just another bit of proof about the "Luck o' the Irish" you hear tell so much about. Author/illustrator Tomie dePaola first learned this tale on the knee of his Irish grandfather and retells it for new generations of those with roots in the Emerald Isle. Jamie O'Rourke is truly the laziest man in all of Ireland and when his poor wife's back gives out before the potato harvest Jamie has to find a way of avoiding starving during the winter. The good news is that Jamie manages to trap a leprechaun, but the bad news is that instead of receiving a pot of gold Jamie is tricked into wishing for all the potatoes he can eat. Now, I like potatoes as much as the next person, depending on who I happened to be standing next to at the time, but even I know that too much of anything is usually not going to be a good thing. The danger of wee folk reading "Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato" is that they will have a fervent desire to be as lucky as the "hero" of this tale and they will probably not want to eat any potatoes for a while.

Rating:
Summary: It's pretty good but some causes for concern
Review: Theme
This book has two themes. The first of which is to share with your neighbors because everyone pays off and wins. Another theme is that laziness pays off. The first theme is domonstrated through Jamie O'Roarke's sharing and through the villagers offer to cook for Jamie at the end of story. This theme is cute and amusing but the sharing aspect comes off as rather selfish. The theme of laziness is one that is present with a message that is there. It seems to take a back seat to the plot in terms of generating pleasure for the reader.
Plot
The plot of this book is simple and follows a logical pattern of thought. Jamie is lazy but Jamie likes to eat. His wife can no longer care for him so he goes off to pray. Jamie captures a leprechaun and makes a wish for a huge potato. He grows the potato. The villagers and Jamie dig up the potato. They eat potato all winter. The villagers are sick of potato so they offer to cook for Jamie all the next year on the condition Jamie won't grown another large potato. Each event makes sense logically.
Characterization
The characterization is amusing. The photography and words add up to portray a stereotypical Irish guy which, because it is a stereotype, is believable. Jamie's foible of being lazy are amusing.
Setting
The setting in the story is not very important. It sets the tone for a lot of the cultural aspects of the story. This story would not make sense or be as funny if it was set in another country.
Point of View
The point of view this story is told from Jamie O'Roarke's point of view. This adds a lot of amusement to the story as it helps to highlight some of Jamie's character flaws.
Other Assessment
The pictures in this book are highly entertaining. They are two-dimensional and use a similar color palette the whole book through. The pictures have clearly defined shape. They are one of the best parts of this book.
One of the concerns some adult readers may have about exposing this book to young readers is the use of language in the book. The author makes the attempt to add a level of authenticity to this story by making the characters sound Irish through the use of language. This is mostly done by having the characters refer to God. One example is where Jamie says "Oh, the saints preserve us." Another example of trying to add authenticity through language is taking the g off words ending in ing. The author succeeds in adding what he strives out to do but it might appear to make the Irish seem stupid and obsessed with religion.

Rating:
Summary: It's pretty good but some causes for concern
Review: Theme
This book has two themes. The first of which is to share with your neighbors because everyone pays off and wins. Another theme is that laziness pays off. The first theme is domonstrated through Jamie O'Roarke's sharing and through the villagers offer to cook for Jamie at the end of story. This theme is cute and amusing but the sharing aspect comes off as rather selfish. The theme of laziness is one that is present with a message that is there. It seems to take a back seat to the plot in terms of generating pleasure for the reader.
Plot
The plot of this book is simple and follows a logical pattern of thought. Jamie is lazy but Jamie likes to eat. His wife can no longer care for him so he goes off to pray. Jamie captures a leprechaun and makes a wish for a huge potato. He grows the potato. The villagers and Jamie dig up the potato. They eat potato all winter. The villagers are sick of potato so they offer to cook for Jamie all the next year on the condition Jamie won't grown another large potato. Each event makes sense logically.
Characterization
The characterization is amusing. The photography and words add up to portray a stereotypical Irish guy which, because it is a stereotype, is believable. Jamie's foible of being lazy are amusing.
Setting
The setting in the story is not very important. It sets the tone for a lot of the cultural aspects of the story. This story would not make sense or be as funny if it was set in another country.
Point of View
The point of view this story is told from Jamie O'Roarke's point of view. This adds a lot of amusement to the story as it helps to highlight some of Jamie's character flaws.
Other Assessment
The pictures in this book are highly entertaining. They are two-dimensional and use a similar color palette the whole book through. The pictures have clearly defined shape. They are one of the best parts of this book.
One of the concerns some adult readers may have about exposing this book to young readers is the use of language in the book. The author makes the attempt to add a level of authenticity to this story by making the characters sound Irish through the use of language. This is mostly done by having the characters refer to God. One example is where Jamie says "Oh, the saints preserve us." Another example of trying to add authenticity through language is taking the g off words ending in ing. The author succeeds in adding what he strives out to do but it might appear to make the Irish seem stupid and obsessed with religion.