The Leprechaun Who Wished He Wasn't

While the leprechaun has long been a significant presence in Irish folklore, it is only within the past two centuries that he has become a prominent figure in the country's literature, adults' or children's. Contemporary writers, realising the tendency for the more conventional leprechaun story to descend into stereotypical Irish blarney, frequently assume, as Parkinson does here, a much less reverential attitude than their predecessors. She strikes the keynote early when Larry, her leprechaun protagonist, assures the 'huming' being who has befriended him that she has been reading too many silly stories about leprechauns. For 'silly', substitute here 'playful', 'inventive', 'witty' and 'allusive', all of which amount to an offbeat and entertaining little story.