Irish-American Heritage Month, 2006
Fair, Brown & Trembling: An Irish Cinderella Story
Jude Daly
There was once a widower who had three daughters. The older two, Fair and Brown, would not allow the youngest, Trembling, out of the house because "she was very beautiful, and they were terrified she would marry before they did." But lo and behold, the henwife arrived one Sunday and asked Trembling why she wasn't at church. When Trembling said she had only her old clothes, the henwife put on her cloak of darkness, clipped a piece of fabric from Trembling's old clothes and created a beautiful gown and a pretty pair of shoes. Off she went to church, not once but three times. On the last visit, the Prince of Emania grabbed her slipper. Readers will easily recognize this Cinderella variant. The tone and descriptions will draw the reader into this smoothly written retelling. The crisp stylized figures in medieval garb stand out against the clean backgrounds and the lush green of the countryside, allowing the reader to focus on the marvelous facial expressions. Don't miss the green-with-envy faces of the older sisters when the prince recognizes Trembling. 2000, Farrar Straus and Giroux, $16.00. Ages 6 up. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo
ISBN: 0-374-32247-3
The Grave
James Heneghan
The year is 1974, and Tom Mullen can't stop thinking about the cordoned-off pit by the new school construction site near his home in Liverpool, England. Abandoned by his mother when he was a baby, tossed from foster home to foster home like so much rubbish, Tom feels a strange connection to the heavily guarded pit and its mysteries. One evening he sneaks to the pit and discovers hundreds of ancient coffins. Tom falls into the pit, and when he wakes he finds himself in Ireland, in the year 1847. He connects with a family that possesses eerie resemblances to himself, and together they face the struggles of the Great Potato famine. Tom feels more at ease with his new family than he does with the modern world. He helps them find food and supplies, and suffers as he watches the mother and her son succumb to Irish famine fever, which killed nearly one million people in real life. Eventually Tom realizes that his mission is accomplished, that he must face the problems in his own life. Blending historical fact with fantastic fiction, this novel might stir students to delve more deeply into a horrific past that spurred one and a half million people to emigrate from their mother country. 2000, Frances Foster Books/Farrar Straus and Giroux, $17.00. Ages 12 to 16. Reviewer: Christopher Moning
ISBN: 0-374-32765-3
Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka
Tomie DePaola
Jamie, the laziest man in all of Ireland, is nevertheless intent about keeping the cottage clean until his wife returns home from visiting her sister. When his three cronies learn that Jamie is alone, they go to keep him company. What a time they have! And what a mess they make. Overwhelmed by the thought of cleaning, Jamie heads to bed only to be awakened by a donkey that cleans the entire house. Jamie has a good deal going with this pooka, or animal spirit, until it outwits him. DePaola's character of Jamie O'Rourke returns in this story patterned on an old Irish tale. His familiar illustration style takes on a cartoon look for this charming and whimsical story. There is a lilt to the prose that makes this a fun read- aloud. DePaola gets us to feel a bit of pity for the rascally Jamie, the laziest man in all of Ireland. 2000, G.P. Putnam's Sons, $16.99. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo.
ISBN: 0-399-23467-5
Land of Promise
Joan Lowery Nixon
Fifteen-year old Rose Carney arrives at Ellis Island from her native Ireland in 1902, leaving behind a mother and two young sisters. She must travel half-way across the continent to Chicago. The father and brothers she has not seen for several years await her. Rose has her hands full from the moment she arrives, cooking and cleaning for the men, dealing with a full-time job in a shop, adjusting to the ways of a new and different world, and experiencing her first love. To top it all off, she discovers that her father has a serious drinking problem and one brother is involved in Irish revolutionary politics. Joan Lowery Nixon handles her heroine's problems with a sure hand while introducing the well-researched and historically detailed world of a turn-of-the-century immigrant. This is one of the "Ellis Island" series of novels which deal with specific immigrant populations and the problems they faced. If the other stories are as dramatic and absorbing as Rose's, they will succeed in making history come alive to young readers in a way that dry historical texts never can. 2001, Gareth Stevens Publishing, Ages 10 up, $??. Reviewer: Michele Tremaine
ISBN: 0-8368-2812-7
Lucky O'Leprechaun Comes to America
Jana Dillon
Bridget, Kathleen, and Moira O'Sullivan have been living in Ireland with their Uncle Patrick while their parents prepare a new life for them in America. When it's time for the girls to join their parents, their uncle secretly gives them the only things that he has of value, the family heirlooms-a crown, a torque, and a bag of gold. Although the girls want their uncle to join them, they are upset because he cannot afford the trip. In a quest for gold, Lucky, a greedy and sneaky little leprechaun, finds the gold that Uncle Patrick hid in the girls' suitcases. But Lucky becomes trapped in one of them. Before the girls leave, they find the gold heirlooms in the suitcases and leave them for their poor uncle. Lucky, however, is not discovered. He becomes an unwilling stowaway to America. He is found when the girls unpack their things at their parents' house. Lucky grants the O'Sullivan girls three wishes. With these wishes, they are able to have their Uncle Patrick join them in America and regain their family heirlooms. The Irish dialect and vivid watercolor illustrations integrated throughout the story add richness to this charming tale. 2000, Pelican, $14.95. Ages 5 to 8. Reviewer: Marguerite E. Caines
ISBN: 1-56554-816-7
Nell Dunne: Ellis Island, 1904
Kathleen Duey
This engrossing novel begins with the Irish Dunne family sailing in steerage to Ellis Island in 1904. The narrator Nell is traveling with her mother, grandmother, older brother Patrick, and baby sister Fiona. The text illustrates convincingly the hardships faced by immigrants coming to this country at the turn-of-the-century. The focus of the plot includes not only the journey itself, but also the actual processing of immigrants at Ellis Island. Readers will feel as if they are standing alongside Nell, hungry, tired and cold, as she winds through line after line of inspections, and health checks. Her greatest fear is that her beloved grandmother may be sent back to Ireland because she is not able to work and gets confused sometimes. Nell saves the day by convincing inspectors that her family would never let Granny Rose become a public charge. This novel, which is part of the publisher's "American Diaries" series, is excellent historical fiction. 2000, Aladdin Paperbacks/Simon & Schuster, $4.50. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Jeanne K. Pettenati
ISBN: 0-689-83555-8
Nory Ryan's Song
Patricia Reilly Giff
As the stench of potatoes rotting in the field assailed their noses, Nory and Granda knew there would not be enough food to last the winter. For generations the Ryan family had lived on the west coast of Ireland eking out a living from the rocky soil. Sister Maggie had gone to America and Da was off fishing hoping to make enough for a passage for all to America. To twelve-year-old Nory fell the burden of keeping the family together. One by one farms fell to the English, neighbors died from hunger, and those that could, abandoned their homes and headed for Galway. Nory vowed to wait for Da and never let the fire go out in the hearth. But when baby brother Patchie and she were forced to eat grass and limpets, Nory knew there had to be another way to get food. Help came from old Anna who told her how to steal eggs from the nest of birds on the dangerous rocky cliffs. Every day was a struggle as Nory chanted her mantra-their sister's address in Brooklyn-and longed for the day her family would again be whole. Based on her own family's history and extensive research of the Great Hunger, Patricia Reilly Giff has written a tender and uplifting story of a remarkable girl who saw hope in spite of tragedy. The writing is as proud, strong, and dignified as the people who suffered through this difficult time. It is the author's gift and tribute to the courageous spirit of the Irish. Nory Ryan is an unforgettable heroine and her story is one to treasure. 2000, Delacorte, $15.95. Ages 10 to 14. Reviewer: Beverley Fahey
ISBN: 0-385-32141-4
St. Patrick's Day Shamrocks
Mary Berendes
Full-pages of shamrocks illustrate this topic. Shamrocks grown in various areas of the world are shown, along with the scientific explanations of photosynthesis and chlorophyll. Historical information about the child who would become St. Patrick, how he used this trefoil plant to explain the three beings in God to the ancient Irish people, and brief statement about St. Patrick's Day complete this introduction. Glossary, and index are included. 2000, Child's World Inc., $22.79. Ages 5 to 10. Reviewer: Mary Sue Preissner
ISBN: 1-56766-643-4
Tales from Old Ireland
Malachy Doyle
Illustrations by Niamh Sharkey
Doyle begins his collection of seven tales with the quintessential Irish story of the "Children of Lir." The importance of showing respect for the fairies is at the heart of "Lusmore and the Fairies," while "Fair, Brown and Trembling" will be quickly recognized as the Irish Cinderella. Merrows and soul cages and ancient legends round out the collection. The storyteller's voice comes through these tellings making them accessible to today's children while transporting them to lands long ago and far away. The illustrations, done in oil and gesso, have a flat and often geometric look to them-almost as if they were cut from thin metal. Just as in the tales, they have a strangeness and a familiarity at the same time. Done in soft greens and browns, they have great eye-appeal. A pronunciation guide to the Irish words and marvelous notes about the sources of the tales make this ideal for the reader who wants to become acquainted with Irish folktales and legends. 2000, Barefoot Books, $19.99. Ages 5 up. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo
ISBN: 1-902283-97-X
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