Tim O'Toole and the Wee Folk — Gerald McDermott

Tim O'Toole and his wife, Kathleen, are so poor they have not a penny or a potato between them. Even their cats are too skinny for the mice to chase! When Tim goes out to find a job, he stumbles upon “the wee folk” -- a band of leprechauns who give him gifts to make his fortune. That is, if Tim can keep clear of the evil McGoon family. . . .
 
“The telling here has a well-honed, Irish lilt; the illustrations, by a Caldecott winner, are lively, expressive, and well sprinkled with sprightly men in green.” -- Kirkus Reviews
 
“This book is a winner.” -- Booklist