Since it was just St. Patrick's Day and this book is all about a wee Irish fairy, it seemed appropriate.
Mom bought this little red guy for my kids, but I love him!
The pictures are similar to Garth Williams, so totally adorable.
Brian Boru is a young Irish lad who is told stories of the little people that populate Ireland from his grandfather.
His uncle Seumas in America had recently written to say that Brian Boru could join him over there and had sent the fair.
Brian felt a bit self conscious about going to America without being able to bring something to show American kids how terrific Ireland was. Since there wasn't a lot Brian could take with him, since life was pretty austere with his Da and Granda, Brian wondered if maybe he could catch a Irish fairy and bring it to America with him.
Unfortunately, Brian Boru is told by Old Timothy, his grandfather, that there has not been any fairies seen for 50 years.
Brian talks to his teacher about this and his teacher gives him some potential pointers for catching a wee man and keeping him.
Brian Boru follows his advice and.....
....through careful planning, catches a wee man. An angry wee man. Angry because Brian Boru had taken his little red cap. Without a red cap, he has to do everything Brian Boru tells him to do.
Brian keeps him in a teapot tied with string on his journey to America. Where Brian is introduced to ice cream and discovers that the wee man has a sweet tooth.
Showing him America
Disaster almost struck when a custom's official spots the teapot and asks questions about it. Brian Boru narrowly avoids losing both the teapot and the fairy man.
The wonders of an American grocery store
And finally, they arrive in Lobster Cove, Maine, where Uncle Seumas and his new wife have a house.
Brian Boru asks the wee man what he thinks of America--
'Tis not any of it I'm liking. You can have it all to yourself. My ears are exploding with noises, my shins are blue with dandering about--and were it not for the ice cream I would be afeard to live through another night, into another day.
Meeting his new aunt.
Geraniums on the windowsill!
Exploring their new home.
Fishing with Uncle Seumas
For all of America's finery, the school was in terrible disrepair. Which Brian doesn't understand. His school back in poverty stricken Ireland was a beautiful and gentle stone building.
His new teacher finds some slides of Ireland and Brian Boru shares a little of his homeland with his class.
But magical things are afoot with the wee man in attendance. One day, each time the student's turn their page, a little lamb's tail whisks all the words off the page.
Finally the class sees the wee man.
Brian uses his big wish to try to get the people of Lobster Cove to improve their schoolhouse. The wee man organizes a flock of birds to fly the schoolhouse away to an abandoned island.
Where the children are tucked in by the birds and spend the night.
The animals all become bewitched, including the cows, who walk through town with flower collars and mooing softly about...
Moo! Moo! A poor lot of humans, you!
Not a quart of milk will we let down
Till there's a new schoolhouse in this town.
Moo, moo, moo!
And you will have to see how it all works out by reading it for yourself.
But suffice it to say, that no kids could ever make fun of Brian Boru or Ireland!
No comments:
Post a Comment