Perfect for St. Patrick's Day or any other day, this Irish tale will take youngsters off on a free-wheeling flight of fancy as Daniel O'Rourke is whisked from a small brook to the moon and then to the sea. Full-color illustrations.

This picture-books offers retelling of a traditional Irish folktale, in which the eponymous Daniel O'Rourke experiences an unforgettable series of magical adventures one night, after encountering a pooka - a mischievous fairy spirit.

Originally collected by T. Crofton Croker in County Cork in the nineteenth century (perhaps in Legends of Cork?), this story features that well-known fairy-type, the Púca (alternately spelled: Pooka, Phooka, Puka, Phouka), whose influence can be seen in everything from Shakespeare's Puck, to the contemporary Irish-language author Padraig Standun. I was interested to note that although McDermott chooses to include numerous leprechaun-looking creatures in his illustrations, he does have one depiction of a "spirit-horse" (one of the forms the Púca is said to assume) in the scene in which Daniel falls into the brook. ( )

On his way home from a party, Daniel O'Rourke becomes the target of the pooka spirit's mischief and is led from one perilous plight to another. McDermott has pared down the 19th-Century T. Crofton Croker version of this Irish folk tale and made it accessible to the young. Remaining faithful to its structure, he plays up the action and plays down the verbosities, retaining just enough of the language to hint at the Irish brand of humour central to the Croker version. He sidesteps altogether the premise that Daniel's woes come from drink, instead noting that Daniel feasted on "green cheese and goose livers until he thought he would burst." McDermott's illustrations are playful and full of momentum, yet every composition, defined in sepia ink, is meticulous, as if the frenzied moments have been captured for close inspection. The watercolors combine deep night blues, rich and evocative, with the dazzling verdure and pale mist of his Irish countryside, his pastel pencil adding texture and depth. Daniel himself is a figure of fun, although there is the slightest echo of St. Patrick's Day greeting-card art about him. The only characterisation that seems a bit humourless is the man in the moon; in such a tale one suspects that everyone would look a bit like an Irishmen, not so otherwordly and faceless as this fellow. This, however, is quibbling; the book abounds with merriment and artistry and is perfect for group telling on St. Patrick's Day and all year round.