THE RING OF TRUTH: An original Irish tale by Teresa Bateman, illustrated by Omar Rayyan. Holiday House, $15.95.
"Blarney" is defined as wheedling and flattery that is not true. According to legend, lepre-chauns consider blarney an art and themselves the best artisans. Anyone who kisses the Blarney Stone becomes skilled in flattery.Patrick O'Kelley, peddler of scarves and trinkets, has the gift of "blarney," and he is proud and cocky about his cajoling and flattery. "Indeed, folks said he must have kissed the Blarney Stone and caught a bit of it in his teeth."
When a blarney contest is announced, Patrick O'Kelley knows he can win. But when Patrick's boasting reaches the king of the leprechauns, the king's magical eyes flash "green lightning."
While he sleeps, Patrick is transported to a room of splendor filled with gold, jewels and silver. There, the leprechaun king places a glowing emerald ring on Patrick's finger and warns him that it can never be removed. It is the Ring of Truth, and while wearing it he can never tell blarney again, only the plain truth for the rest of his days.
Try as he might, Patrick cannot remove the Ring of Truth.
When the time comes for the blarney contest, Patrick hopes to sell a few trinkets; he certainly isn't going to enter the competition. But he is pushed on stage by admirers of his foolishness. There he stands meekly and humbly and tells of his encounter with the king of the leprechauns and the curse of the Ring of Truth.
The crowd is enthralled with Patrick's story, thinking it is the best blarney they've ever heard. He wins the blarney contest and a pot of gold as a prize.
Patrick O'Kelley moves into a wee cottage and continues to tell tales about his encounter with the leprechaun king. But no one believes him!
What a clever new twist on the old themes of leprechauns and blarney. Certainly young readers will receive the subtle message about greed, truth and that which is not truth in this magical setting. The story is fun, but the illustrations are wondrous! Rayyan has tucked in myriad magical details that enhance the text, such as imps, fairies, elves and blaring trumpets. These are all embellished with frames, facades and curlicues, themselves magical in color and shape. Rayyan's costumes in brilliant shades, each an authentic period piece, adorn some of the best portraitures I've seen in a picture book for a long time.
"The Ring of Truth" is a great book for this season but can be read anytime, because I understand there's blarney around all year long!
Marilou Sorensen is professor emerita of education at the University of Utah.