Product Description

One, two, three O'Leary,
Four, five, six O'Leary,
Seven, eight, nine O'Leary,
Ten O'Leary children.

Ten O'Leary children are tucked snugly in bed -- but not for long! One by one they bounce out of bed...and the fun continues, even as Dad gets ready to go to his nighttime job while trying to settle his little ones down once more.

In this delectable, rhythmic book Malachy Doyle draws upon the traditional Irish rhymes that he loved as a child. With fun, lively illustrations by Will Hillenbrand, a bedtime game comes to life!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1564049 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2–Doyle strings together traditional skipping, ball-bouncing, and counting-out rhymes to create a boisterous bedtime story. The 10 O'Leary children are tucked into a large bed by their parents. As soon as their mother and father leave the room, however, they begin to bounce on the bed to a series of rhythmic rhymes ("Ibble obble,/Blue bottle,/Ibble obble OUT!" or "Red, white, and blue,/The cat's got flu,/The dog's got chicken pox,/And OUT goes you!"). Each poem ends with one of the children landing on the floor. Eventually, every young O'Leary is "OUT," and then the grown-ups come in to join the action. In the end, the little ones return to bed. Some of the rhymes are based on traditional Irish chants, and some are a bit nonsensical, but all are great fun. Featuring crisp, bold colors, the collage and mixed-media illustrations show this family enjoying a rip-roaring good time. The tongue-twisting text will have kids laughing out loud.–Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL
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About the Author
Malachy Doyle is well known for Georgie, Hungry! Hungry! Hungry!, Jody's Beans and other titles. Malachy is a hugely talented, versatile and extremely sought after children's author. He lives in Wales with his family. Angelo Rinaldi has illustrated several picture books for children, and many book covers. In Cow he paints life-evoking scenes in oil on canvas. He grew up in Wales with his Italian father, Welsh mother and seven brothers and sisters. He now lives in London.

Customer Reviews

Delightfully Zany Rhymes, Wonderfully Illustrated
The ten O'Leary children share one very, very wide bed, and getting out of it is lots of fun! Each sibling, one at a time, tumbles, rolls, dives, slides, or somehow booted out of bed by another sibling in this gleefully fun book of nonsense and some sense rhymes. Author Doyle explains that children counted, bounced balls, and played skipping games to these rhymes, many of them Irish, and many of which "bring back fond memories of my childhood in Whitehead, County Antrim."

The book begins with a simple counting scheme ("One, two, three O'Learys, four, five, six..."), although the vivid colors and textures begin on page one. The text, however, becomes as wild and unpredictable as the frolicking kids (who unfailingly smile as their siblings de-bed them). Doyle's silly verse accompanies illustrations bursting with action and an amazing variety of unusual yet pleasing colors. On one of the 2-page spreads, three sisters dance in unison on the bed, while a smiling boy with a rainbow wig slides (is kicked?) off. Echoing the three sisters, the parents and even the pets perform a little jig as well.

Hickety pickety, eye silickity,
Pompalorum jig.
I wish I hadn't any hair,
One, two, three,
OUT goes he!

In a show of unity, the ten kids then shake daddy out of bed, chase him down a fire pole connecting the top and bottom floors (!), and grab his and each others' coattails as he runs outside through the snow. Later, they climb a knotted rope up the fire pole!

Catch him by the waistcoat,
The jacket, and the overcoat.
Tell him he's a billygoat
And CHASE HIM DOWN THE STAIRS!

This is an enormously fun, silly book to read and hear, and the good-natured siblings and inventive rhymes engage and warm the heart. For kids who love wordplay and/or counting, and parents who like to read out loud (and perhaps want an example of some silly family fun), this book is a fresh delight. For more information on author and illustrator, visit www.malachydoyle.co.uk and www.willhilldenbrand.com.