ALA Booklist (Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2000)

Renowned author-illustrator dePaola is fond of all things Irish and partial to lovable rascals. And, as his many books reveal, he possesses a warmth and humor that reaches out to children. These qualities are once again apparent in his latest picture book about Jamie O'Rourke, the laziest man in Ireland. The minute his wife, Eileen, leaves home, Jamie and cronies Michael, Patrick, and Seamus have a fine old time. But who will clean up the mess they made? Looking at the mess simply makes Jamie tired, so he goes to bed. He's awakened by a pooka, a strange donkeylike creature that walks on two legs and proceeds to clean the entire house before dawn. How Jamie manages to squander such a perfect arrangement brings this original folk tale to its humorous conclusion. Jamie's jovial shiftlessness is affectionately depicted in dePaola's timeless, decorative style. An explanatory note at the book's end offers the mythological natural history of pookas. (Reviewed January 1 & 15, 2000)

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2000)

In this good-humored tale about the folly of counting on someone else to do your work, Jamie O'Rourke, "the laziest man in all of Ireland," and his cronies have a grand time while his wife is away, but the house ends up a mess. When a pooka, or animal spirit, arrives and cleans the place from top to bottom, Jamie thinks his problems are over. DePaola's cozy, colorful illustrations are a good match for the lighthearted, rhythmic text.

Kirkus Reviews

<p>1882</p> 1882.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In a starred review, <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">PW wrote, "Lazy but lovable Jamie O'Rourke returns in this dandy and original Irish folktale."Ages 4-6. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Jan.)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 4-Still no more energetic than in Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato (Putnam, 1992), the laziest man in Ireland has the perfect plan for keeping his cottage tidy while his wife is away-he'll simply stay in bed and get up only to eat. When his pals arrive with a jug of cider and hearty appetites, Jamie finds himself with a messy cottage and the exhausting prospect of cleaning up. During the night, a pooka comes and clears away all evidence of the evening's party. The donkeylike creature returns each night to tidy up. Curious, Jamie asks why he is being so kind. He explains that he is being punished for laziness in a past life. Jamie is moved to perform a kind deed in return, which he immediately regrets-the pooka is now free and the indolent man is left alone just in time for Eileen to return to the mess. In some scenes, dePaola's liquid acrylic paintings spill over their frames onto the white space surrounding them. Particularly frenzied activity, like the pooka's midnight house cleaning, is depicted in multiple frames that resemble a comic strip. The pooka, with his wild yellow eyes and toothy grimace, looks sinister enough to satisfy young readers who enjoy a scare, while Jamie's cat's and dog's facial expressions reflect their owner's changing moods. A concluding author's note explaining the story's origins in Irish folklore is a satisfying addition to an enjoyable original tale.-Ginny Gustin, Santa Monica Public Library, CA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.