Jamie O'Rourke and The Big Potato

You have got to read Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato to your students in March.  This old Irish folktale is an all time favorite of mine.  It's illustrated by Tomie dePaola who happens to be a favorite of ours as well!  Jamie O'Rourke is the laziest man in all of Ireland, He is far too lazy to help his wife on their farm. When his wife became ill, he had to do all of her work. Luckily, he found a leprechaun. Instead of gold he gets a seed and grows the biggest potato in the world. 

We have all kinds of fun learning about and with potatoes after reading this book.  We do lots of measuring, writing, and experimenting with potatoes.   We included many of our potato activities in our book extension.  It is available on Teachers Pay Teachers and is full of activities to do with this book.  

Click here to get the extension.

Another great book to read at this time is The Hungry Leprechaun by Mary Calhoun.  Patrick O'Michael O'Callahan finds the hungriest leprechaun in all of Ireland!  The two of them will eat lots of potatoes in this story too!