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Jamie O'Rourke
Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka
From the creator of the much-loved book Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato , comes another story about the laziest man in all of Ireland, Jamie O'Rourke.
This time Jamie's wife has left him alone for a week. All Jamie has to do is clean the dishes and sweep the house. Of course, Jamie's the messiest man in all of Ireland as well as the laziest, but when a magical Pooka comes to do all the housework, he figures he's also the luckiest. But Jamie's luck runs out when he gives the Pooka a warm overcoat as thanks, thus breaking the house-cleaning spell cast on the Pooka. The Pooka runs off, leaving Jamie--and Eileen--with a very messy house indeed!
Publishers Weekly called Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato "An inspired Irish folktale."
This time Jamie's wife has left him alone for a week. All Jamie has to do is clean the dishes and sweep the house. Of course, Jamie's the messiest man in all of Ireland as well as the laziest, but when a magical Pooka comes to do all the housework, he figures he's also the luckiest. But Jamie's luck runs out when he gives the Pooka a warm overcoat as thanks, thus breaking the house-cleaning spell cast on the Pooka. The Pooka runs off, leaving Jamie--and Eileen--with a very messy house indeed!
Publishers Weekly called Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato "An inspired Irish folktale."
Hardcover
First published January 10, 2000
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226 people want to read
About the author
Tomie dePaola
420 books889 followersTomie dePaola (pronounced Tommy da-POW-la) was best known for his books for children.
He had a five-decade writing and illustrating career during which he published more than 270 books, including 26 Fairmount Avenue, Strega Nona, and Meet the Barkers.
Tomie dePaola and his work have been recognized with the Caldecott Honor Award, the Newbery Honor Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure.
He had a five-decade writing and illustrating career during which he published more than 270 books, including 26 Fairmount Avenue, Strega Nona, and Meet the Barkers.
Tomie dePaola and his work have been recognized with the Caldecott Honor Award, the Newbery Honor Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
March 2, 2013
This is a story that I think children and adults can definitely enjoy together. The story is enjoyable and I couldn't help picking up a fake Irish accent to accompany the story. The way it's written you almost can't avoid it!
The story is about the lazy Jamie O'Rourke while his loving, caring, housekeeping wife is away. She leaves him with very simple instructions on how to keep the house while she's gone without leaving him terribly much work to do. He figures he's got it covered, and she's off.
When his wife leaves, Jamie's friends come over with a jug of cider and have a grand old time. Of course, this also means they make a grand old mess. Jamie, being the lazy man he is, should have cleaned it all up, but he neglects to do so, figuring he'd do it all in the morning.
Well, wouldn't you know it? The laziest man in the world gets a blessing put on him. A creature comes in that very night and cleans the whole house, top to bottom, making sure there isn't any mess to be seen! Imagine how Jamie must have felt, knowing all that work that waited for him was now done and over with.
The next day Jamie's friends are back and he tells them about the hard work he did, claiming the creatures efforts as his own. They determine to come back every night in his wife's absence, since it should be no big deal to have their fun while she's away. They drink and party the night away.
That night and each to follow until the one before the last they boys party by day and the creature cleans by night. This is a wonderful arrangement, but Jamie feels he must confront the creature to find out what he can do to thank it for it's service.
This is when the truth comes out. This creature is a pooka, and he was once a very lazy man. When it came time for him to pass over to the other world, he was cursed and turned into a pooka, destined to work for someone else every night to repay the debt of his laziness.
All the cues are there for Jamie to make the right decision. Will he learn his lesson? Will he stop being so lazy to spare himself the same fate as the pooka?
This story made a wonderful discussion topic for my family. It brought up a lot of great subjects. The actions of the pooka can introduce the concept of fairy tricks to teach their lesson. The story of the pooka can also give you an idea of what's in store for Jamie if he doesn't clean up his act. Can the kids figure it out? What is the lesson here? I was surprised how many adults seem confused when my family seems to get it so clearly. When you're gifted with a blessing of any kind, always look at it closely. What can you learn from that blessing? Another subject I think seems to be overlooked, the story doesn't really have an obvious moral. It's not so cut and dry as "do good and you'll regret it later". There's a very strong message with the pooka of "do good now or you're going to be made to suffer for it later." There's also a great mental development point of "what comes next." Okay, so you've seen Jamie's story so far. What do you think is going to happen in the end? Did he learn anything from the pooka? Was the pooka trying to help with the work to be nice? Or was the pooka also trying to teach Jamie something in the process?
It's a wonderful story and I think we're going to keep this one around for quite some time. The moral of the story (though a little hidden) is a lot of fun. The concept of "do good now or you'll regret it later" in the area of cleaning is especially fitting for kids. Sure, they've got me (in the role of the wife), for now, but what happens when they're grown and on their own. Who will clean for them then? True, they probably won't turn into pookas if they don't, but they'll be stuck living in a dirty, stinky house that no one will ever want to visit. If they learn good habits now, it will save them hardship later.
The story is about the lazy Jamie O'Rourke while his loving, caring, housekeeping wife is away. She leaves him with very simple instructions on how to keep the house while she's gone without leaving him terribly much work to do. He figures he's got it covered, and she's off.
When his wife leaves, Jamie's friends come over with a jug of cider and have a grand old time. Of course, this also means they make a grand old mess. Jamie, being the lazy man he is, should have cleaned it all up, but he neglects to do so, figuring he'd do it all in the morning.
Well, wouldn't you know it? The laziest man in the world gets a blessing put on him. A creature comes in that very night and cleans the whole house, top to bottom, making sure there isn't any mess to be seen! Imagine how Jamie must have felt, knowing all that work that waited for him was now done and over with.
The next day Jamie's friends are back and he tells them about the hard work he did, claiming the creatures efforts as his own. They determine to come back every night in his wife's absence, since it should be no big deal to have their fun while she's away. They drink and party the night away.
That night and each to follow until the one before the last they boys party by day and the creature cleans by night. This is a wonderful arrangement, but Jamie feels he must confront the creature to find out what he can do to thank it for it's service.
This is when the truth comes out. This creature is a pooka, and he was once a very lazy man. When it came time for him to pass over to the other world, he was cursed and turned into a pooka, destined to work for someone else every night to repay the debt of his laziness.
All the cues are there for Jamie to make the right decision. Will he learn his lesson? Will he stop being so lazy to spare himself the same fate as the pooka?
This story made a wonderful discussion topic for my family. It brought up a lot of great subjects. The actions of the pooka can introduce the concept of fairy tricks to teach their lesson. The story of the pooka can also give you an idea of what's in store for Jamie if he doesn't clean up his act. Can the kids figure it out? What is the lesson here? I was surprised how many adults seem confused when my family seems to get it so clearly. When you're gifted with a blessing of any kind, always look at it closely. What can you learn from that blessing? Another subject I think seems to be overlooked, the story doesn't really have an obvious moral. It's not so cut and dry as "do good and you'll regret it later". There's a very strong message with the pooka of "do good now or you're going to be made to suffer for it later." There's also a great mental development point of "what comes next." Okay, so you've seen Jamie's story so far. What do you think is going to happen in the end? Did he learn anything from the pooka? Was the pooka trying to help with the work to be nice? Or was the pooka also trying to teach Jamie something in the process?
It's a wonderful story and I think we're going to keep this one around for quite some time. The moral of the story (though a little hidden) is a lot of fun. The concept of "do good now or you'll regret it later" in the area of cleaning is especially fitting for kids. Sure, they've got me (in the role of the wife), for now, but what happens when they're grown and on their own. Who will clean for them then? True, they probably won't turn into pookas if they don't, but they'll be stuck living in a dirty, stinky house that no one will ever want to visit. If they learn good habits now, it will save them hardship later.
November 17, 2008
So my daughter thought the woman in the story was the man's mother rather than his wife, probably because he appeared incapable of cooking for himself or cleaning up anything, and, as far as my daughter knows, grownups do that for themselves. The feel to this one is a bit random, for lack of a better descriptor. It seemed to be going somewhere in terms of a moral, took a detour, and then just ended. A lazy man who won't clean up after himself is lucky enough to have a pooka do it for him, and when the man finally does one unselfish act for the first time in the story, the consequence is that he's punished for it. An adult can appreciate and chuckle over the irony, but I'm not sure that children will take away anything positive from the story. I don't want my children's fiction to be _overly_ didactic, but I do like it when it conveys a general sense of the value of virtue. This is not one I will choose to re-read to my child.
November 27, 2011
I'm interested in seeing how kids perceive drinking in books. I don't seem to recall drinking/getting drunk ever registering positively or negatively in my brain when I encountered it in books I read, even when the Redwall mice drank heavily. But I don't know if that's because I never saw my parents drink other than a very occasional glass of wine until I was an adult (except my dad's Christmas Eve Grand Marnier).
That said, whenever a book refers to drinking or alcohol, I notice some of my students shift uncomfortably. A few of them have written essays about the perils of drinking, totally unprompted by me. So I wonder what their response would be to Jamie O'Rourke getting blasted every night and having a Pooka come by and pick up the pieces of his life. Would they be pleased by the ending, where the Pooka tricks Jamie and he winds up screwed at the end? Or would they be miffed that Jamie is making such a mess? Or wouldn't it register because it's a folk tale rather than a piece of realistic fiction?
That said, whenever a book refers to drinking or alcohol, I notice some of my students shift uncomfortably. A few of them have written essays about the perils of drinking, totally unprompted by me. So I wonder what their response would be to Jamie O'Rourke getting blasted every night and having a Pooka come by and pick up the pieces of his life. Would they be pleased by the ending, where the Pooka tricks Jamie and he winds up screwed at the end? Or would they be miffed that Jamie is making such a mess? Or wouldn't it register because it's a folk tale rather than a piece of realistic fiction?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2017
If you have any fondness for the movie Harvey, this book is likely to induce feelings of outrage.
Jamie O'Rourke, "the laziest man in all of Ireland," encounters a pooka when his wife travels to see her sister. Unlike the lovable rabbit of the James Stewart film, this pooka seems to be a cross between a rabbit and a donkey, with something vaguely demonic about the eyes. The pictures of the pooka himself might be off-putting to children-- they certainly were to me.
I would be interested to discuss this text with a particular young moralist of my acquaintance, to see whether he believes Jamie got what he deserved, or whether the pooka did him wrong. While I would hope to find other Irish tales for children, this book could certainly be used to start interesting debates. I’ll stick with the Jimmy Stewart movie myself, though.
Jamie O'Rourke, "the laziest man in all of Ireland," encounters a pooka when his wife travels to see her sister. Unlike the lovable rabbit of the James Stewart film, this pooka seems to be a cross between a rabbit and a donkey, with something vaguely demonic about the eyes. The pictures of the pooka himself might be off-putting to children-- they certainly were to me.
I would be interested to discuss this text with a particular young moralist of my acquaintance, to see whether he believes Jamie got what he deserved, or whether the pooka did him wrong. While I would hope to find other Irish tales for children, this book could certainly be used to start interesting debates. I’ll stick with the Jimmy Stewart movie myself, though.
March 9, 2017
Jamie O'Rourke, if you'll remember, is the laziest man in all of Ireland. Well, one time, his wife needs to go away for a week, and ole Jamie is left to fend for himself. And, so it happens that his equally lazy, no-good friends come over to celebrate EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. You can imagine the state of the house! But, every night after Jamie goes to bed, the Pooka - looks like a donkey, stands like a man - comes, and cleans up the mess. Jamie should probably reward hims for his service, don't you think?
Uh, huh.
Big mistake . . .
I get a kick out of Jamie O'Rourke, but I'm glad I'm not married to him!
Uh, huh.
Big mistake . . .
I get a kick out of Jamie O'Rourke, but I'm glad I'm not married to him!
March 8, 2019
Amusing Irish tale of Jamie O'Rourke, the laziest man in the village and his inability to keep things under control. In this story, his wife goes to visit her sister for a week. She leaves him food and a clean house. She warns him to take care of the house and not let anybody in. Jamie doesn't listen and brings his buddies in for parties. An animal named a Pooka also gets in and cleans up after all his parties, the house is still clean. But eventually Jamie kicks the Pooka out when he catches him. Hmmmm What will his wife know?
June 20, 2024
Tomie DePaola's funny story is similar to folktales about fairies who help out someone by doing work for him, until the fairy is given clothing, at which time the fairy leaves, never to return. DePaola's humorous liquid acrylic paintings depict the pooka as sort of a donkey-looking creature. The author includes a note about pookas after the story.
February 4, 2019
Jamie O'Rourke's charming laziness and dePaola's charming illustrations don't altogether make this story unterrifying. An animal spirit that comes into your house at night? And kind of looks demonic? (The note at the end saying that the most famous Pooka is, of course, Jimmy Stewart's friend Harvey. But isn't Harvey quietly terrifying as well?)
February 10, 2021
This Irish folktale accompanied our study of the selkie. My first-grader had a little bit of hard time understanding how the Pooka tricked Jamie at the end, but I think she understood it after I explained it to her. The text used Irish turns of phrase ("give us a kiss and be off with you") and I couldn't help but try to emulate an Irish accent when I read it aloud.
July 12, 2018
It may be a few years before I get to introduce my kids to the movie Harvey (or Farscapem which also has a "Harvey" in it, but that's a different matter) - but a Tomie dePaola book is the next best thing!
May 11, 2025
This is one of the better Tomie dePaola picture books that I've ever read. The plot is tighter than usual and had me wondering what was going to happen next as Jamie O'Rourke, the "laziest man in Ireland", partied with his friends every night while his wife was away, only to see a magic Pooka creature enter his house each night while Jamie was in bed and clean up the entire mess.
This is a very well thought-out story, written with a light touch while still plainly showing the consequences of a lazy nature. The narrative held my interest well the whole time, and I think that it could easily become a favorite in classrooms around the country. Another thing that I like about Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka is its subtly authentic Irish atmosphere, which was so ever-present that I found myself lapsing into an Irish accent while reading in my mind, even when there was no dialogue. This book is a fine offering from an excellent author.
This is a very well thought-out story, written with a light touch while still plainly showing the consequences of a lazy nature. The narrative held my interest well the whole time, and I think that it could easily become a favorite in classrooms around the country. Another thing that I like about Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka is its subtly authentic Irish atmosphere, which was so ever-present that I found myself lapsing into an Irish accent while reading in my mind, even when there was no dialogue. This book is a fine offering from an excellent author.
March 26, 2021
I am a big Tomie DePaola fan, but didn’t love this. I might like it better if I read it to children instead of just myself. It bothered me that Jamie didn’t learn anything.
May 11, 2025
Jamie O'Rourke, the laziest man in Ireland, whose adventures began in author/illustrator Tomie dePaola's
Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato
, returns in this second tale. Left on his own by his wife Eileen, who must visit her sister, Jamie is provided with lots of good food, and instructed to clean up after each meal. Despite these simple instructions, he manages to make a terrible mess each night, while entertaining his friends, only to see everything cleaned and set to rights by the disgruntled pooka—also known as a púca, these mischievous spirits of Irish folklore often appear in some equine form—who appears each night. When Jamies works up the courage to question the pooka, and gives him an old coat, the results are not what he expected...
Unlike the earlier book featuring this character, which was a retelling of a traditional tale—no source material is given in Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato , but it is described as an Irish folktale, and was published as part of Tomie dePaola's Whitebird Books collection, an imprint which included a number of folk tales from around the world—Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka appears to be an original fairy-tale, albeit one based on Irish folklore. It is an entertaining tale, one with a humorous ending in which Jamie gets his just deserts (although Eileen, sadly, does not), and features dePaola's trademark illustrations. Although not a folktale, I'd recommend it to young folklore enthusiasts, and to readers who enjoyed the first story about this character.
Unlike the earlier book featuring this character, which was a retelling of a traditional tale—no source material is given in Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato , but it is described as an Irish folktale, and was published as part of Tomie dePaola's Whitebird Books collection, an imprint which included a number of folk tales from around the world—Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka appears to be an original fairy-tale, albeit one based on Irish folklore. It is an entertaining tale, one with a humorous ending in which Jamie gets his just deserts (although Eileen, sadly, does not), and features dePaola's trademark illustrations. Although not a folktale, I'd recommend it to young folklore enthusiasts, and to readers who enjoyed the first story about this character.
August 18, 2024
Does anyone remember the Shoemaker and the Elves? This story has elements in common with that one.
A Pooka is a man like donkey beast, not really good or bad. Apparently, they are sort of like servants of some kind having to pay off a debt. There's a really cool fact I didn't know. Harvey, from the Jimmie Stewart movie 'Harvey' is a Pooka. He looks more like a rabbit there. Interesting. I know the cover well, never saw the movie.
Jamie is a slob and his wife takes great care of him. She's going away for a week and she gets everything ready. She has food in the larder and everything is ready. She asks him to tidy up after himself while she's gone so it isn't such a mess. She knows her husband well.
As soon as she's gone, he has his three mates over. They eat and drink and make a huge mess. Jamie leaves it till morning.
That night a Pooka comes in, nearly scares Jamie alive. He realizes that the pooka is cleaning everything up. The next day, the house is sparkling. Jamie has it made now. So, it's a week of partying.
Same Tomie dePaola artwork. Nothing new there, but it's good for storytelling. His characters are truly normal people.
Spoiler,
Jamie, at the end of the week, is thankful, feels sorry for this pooka. He gives him his coat and the pooka is freed from his labor. He was lazy in life and now he is free. He doesn't even finish cleaning and Jamie is left with a mess and his wife gets home to see it all.
A Pooka is a man like donkey beast, not really good or bad. Apparently, they are sort of like servants of some kind having to pay off a debt. There's a really cool fact I didn't know. Harvey, from the Jimmie Stewart movie 'Harvey' is a Pooka. He looks more like a rabbit there. Interesting. I know the cover well, never saw the movie.
Jamie is a slob and his wife takes great care of him. She's going away for a week and she gets everything ready. She has food in the larder and everything is ready. She asks him to tidy up after himself while she's gone so it isn't such a mess. She knows her husband well.
As soon as she's gone, he has his three mates over. They eat and drink and make a huge mess. Jamie leaves it till morning.
That night a Pooka comes in, nearly scares Jamie alive. He realizes that the pooka is cleaning everything up. The next day, the house is sparkling. Jamie has it made now. So, it's a week of partying.
Same Tomie dePaola artwork. Nothing new there, but it's good for storytelling. His characters are truly normal people.
Spoiler,
Jamie, at the end of the week, is thankful, feels sorry for this pooka. He gives him his coat and the pooka is freed from his labor. He was lazy in life and now he is free. He doesn't even finish cleaning and Jamie is left with a mess and his wife gets home to see it all.
February 19, 2023
Lazy man can't/won't cook/clean for himself. Pooka keeps doing so for him and when prompted, explains it's because he was once a lazy man who put work onto others and this is his punishment.
You might be hoping the lesson is that Jamie learns to NOT BE LIKE THAT ANYMORE and pull a Scrooge: learn his lesson from another's pain and be better. Instead you get a Dobby situation where the Pooka is compensated in crumbs for all his work and is freed and won't do the last bit of work. Jamie's annoyed and his wife is madder and Jamie learned nothing.
You can see a few things about this story that are dissappointing and don't age well.
You might be hoping the lesson is that Jamie learns to NOT BE LIKE THAT ANYMORE and pull a Scrooge: learn his lesson from another's pain and be better. Instead you get a Dobby situation where the Pooka is compensated in crumbs for all his work and is freed and won't do the last bit of work. Jamie's annoyed and his wife is madder and Jamie learned nothing.
You can see a few things about this story that are dissappointing and don't age well.
April 18, 2023
A near identical story about a house goblin or brownie in other Irish legends, but it's been a young woman in the past that gave the being a coat and suddenly it's too good for cleaning up and goes away never to be seen again. I thought the pooka was too mischievous to clean house, however, this was slightly amusing all the same.
September 2, 2018
While his wife is away, a lazy man relies on a pooka to clean up the messes that he and his friends make. The pooka had once been a lazy servant who was “sentenced” to cleaning up after others until someone was so appreciative that they rewarded him ... then he could quit.
November 10, 2018
Was expecting more due to my affinity for Celtic folklore. Did not live up to expectations. Characters stale, pooka was lame, and am personally not fond of stories where the protoganist fails to walk away with any character development. My toddler did ask me to read it multiple times.
March 13, 2019
Loved getting a chance to read aloud with an Irish accent. The appearance of the Pooka was quite alarming - we're rolling along in this cute picture book and then this yellow-eyed scary creature appears!
March 13, 2021
DePaola captures the wit and humor of Irish storytelling wonderfully in this book.
Jamie O’Rourke shows us that taking the lazy way out is more trouble than it’s worth.
A spring read we come back to every March.
Highly recommended for 3 and up. Must be read in your best Irish accent.
Jamie O’Rourke shows us that taking the lazy way out is more trouble than it’s worth.
A spring read we come back to every March.
Highly recommended for 3 and up. Must be read in your best Irish accent.
March 12, 2024
Jamie's wife goes to visit her sister, leaving Jamie with strict instructions about keeping the house clean. Jamie and his buddies make a mess but Jamie doesn't clean it, which leads to a visit by a pooka (a cursed ghost) who does the cleaning up. Quite fun!
March 18, 2018
I like Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato better, but kids like Tomie dePaola's stories regardless of my opinion!
March 31, 2018
Summary: Jamie must keep the house while his wife is away.
Why I Read This: RAR's March Books.
Review: It was fine. Not my favorite from Tomie de Paola, but solid.
Why I Read This: RAR's March Books.
Review: It was fine. Not my favorite from Tomie de Paola, but solid.
June 26, 2019
All I can say is, read it first so you have an idea how to converse with your child about it. And btw, "cronies" is indeed the better word, rather than "friends."
November 7, 2019
Always happy to add to my collection of Irish folk tales -- especially those that can be shared with youngsters for St. Patrick's Day!
January 30, 2021
Feels like a classic story. Enjoyed the author's note about the Pooka.
March 16, 2021
What a great tale for St. Patrick's Day. My first-grade class laughed aloud~
April 20, 2021
Once again, lazy Jamie doesn't change his ways (although he IS kind to the Pooka). And then he pouts at the end. Not one to be read to the very young, as they will only pick up on the wrong things.
May 28, 2021
I'm thinkin' Jamie is the ungrateful one.
October 25, 2021
I really liked this one,
laughed when the Pooka left.
laughed when the Pooka left.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews