Too Many Leprechauns: Or How That Pot o' Gold Got to the End of the Rainbow

by Stephen Krensky, Dan Andreasen (Illustrator)

Overview

On St. Patrick's Day, leprechauns are lucky. But on every other day of the year, they make for noisy neighbors — and they're turning the entire town of Dingle upside down! Fortunately, Finn O'Finnegan always has a clever plan brewing, and this time, with a little luck of the Irish, it's a scheme that just might fool even the cleverest of creatures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689851124
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	01/09/2007
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

Stephen Krensky is the author of more than a hundred books for children, including How Santa Got His Job (an ALA Notable Book) and Big Bad Wolves at School. He and his wife, Joan, live in Lexington, Massachusetts. You can visit him at StephenKrensky.com.

Dan Andreasen is the illustrator of numerous picture books, including By the Dawn’s Early Light: The Story of the Star-Spangled Banner by Steven Kroll, which was named an ABA Kids’ Pick of the Lists and a Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies; A Quiet Place by Douglas Wood; and Sailor Boy Jig by Margaret Wise Brown. He has also authored several picture books, including With a Little Help from Daddy and A Special Day for Mommy. Dan lives with his family in Medina, Ohio.

Editorial Reviews

Those who have wondered how the folklore about leprechauns stashing their treasure at rainbow's end came to be, now have a playful explanation courtesy of Krensky's original tale (with the fitting subtitle, "Or How That Pot o'Gold Got to the End of the Rainbow"). Following a year of fun in Dublin, Finn O'Finnegan, who "looked like a rogue and walked like a rascal," plans to recharge by loafing around his mother's cottage in Dingle. But his plan hits a snag when Finn learns that cobbler leprechauns have been keeping the whole town up at night with all their "infernal tapping," as they craft footwear for the local fairies. Finn, sounding like a judge from Project Runway, insults the leprechauns' style and craftsmanship, inciting their anger and teaching them a trick or two about the transport of fairy gold. Though Krensky's (How Santa Got His Job) magical logic may at times be difficult for younger readers to follow, kids will likely be amused by the proud and cranky leprechauns and trickster Finn. Andreasen's (By the Dawn's Early Light) oil paintings exude loads of Old World–Emerald-Isle charm in scenes of rolling hills dotted with stone walls and thatch-roof cottages. His leprechauns, clad in natty green hats and suits, and shod with (well made, no doubt) buckle shoes, prove a memorable clan. Ages 4-6. (Jan.)

Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 4
Wry humor and lyrical dialogue make this story great fun to read aloud. Unfortunately, the text does not always provide sufficient context to explain some of the plot elements. Finn O'Finnegan returns to his village after a long absence and notices that "something was clearly amiss." It is an oil painting that reveals what: a cow is being served milk, a hen is staring at fried eggs, and a pig is taking a bubble bath. Finn's mother complains that some noisy leprechauns who are making fairy shoes are disturbing her sleep with their "tap-tap-tap ," so the young man devises a clever scheme to outwit them. He angers the leprechauns when he finds fault with every one of their shoes, so they show him their stash of gold to prove that they make fine products. However, the story does not explain how the leprechauns can find their gold at will, and at the end of a rainbow, when there is no reference to moisture in either the text or illustration. Nevertheless, the clever Finn makes their gold disappear (or does he?) and strikes a bargain: "If you promise to leave Dingle and never trouble us again, I'll return your gold." Additional humorous visuals show the increasingly annoyed leprechauns searching high and low for their treasure. Purchase as needed.
—Kirsten CutlerCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Is it possible? Too many leprechauns? It is when their infernal tapping from busily making fairy shoes keeps the whole town awake. When Finn returns home to Dingle, he finds his village turned upside down and sleep-deprived. If he wants some of his mom's soda bread, he needs a plan to stop the noise so she can get a good night's sleep. Can Finn convince the leprechauns that all their gold has disappeared and strike a deal that if they leave town, he'll return it? Cue the rainbow. The jaunty oil-on-paper illustrations embellish the usual depictions of leprechauns, so pudgy-cheeked here that they invite pinching. Boxed text on one side apposes bordered scenes on the other, with double spreads stretching out the humor. "Gilty" of being a good read, despite the lack of anything to suggest whether it is an original story or a folktale. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews