The Pooka Party, by Shona Shirley McDonald, is a delightful and whimsical romp of a story. Beautifully illustrated throughout, it tells the story of a poor lonely magical goat or Pooka who decides to hold a party to reconnect with all his friends.
The Pooka emails his invites (complete with some marvellously creative spellings!) and awaits his guests. I won’t spoil the story by giving away the twist, just to say this was the favourite page for all! Add in some pesky and bold goblins and here is a perfect tale for younger children.
The book would certainly stand many readings as the stunning illustrations are so detailed. Once the story was read there were requests to go back so the children could spot the goblins and look at the party scene again. The sparkly soup was a particular favourite as was the attractive cover with it’s touches of silver.
The children were very interested in what happened next and I’m sure a sequel that perhaps explored some of the other mystical creatures would be very well received. All in all this is an engaging story but it’s the illustrations that make this book really special and I look forward to more from the author soon.
By Jane Kingston, teacher at Castle Park School, Dalkey, Co. Dublin.
“The Pooka Party” by Shona Shirley McDonald, published by O’Brien Press, is now available to purchase for €14.99
Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher, O’Brien Press, free of charge to Seomra Ranga for the purposes of this review
