St. Patrick's Day (Primary)

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. Sean McDonald inadvertently builds his house over leprechaun Brian O'Shea's home. Though Brian tries to scare Sean away at first, the two eventually reach an unspoken agreement. When hard times hit, Brian shares his gold with Sean, and the two work together to thwart a robbery. Meisel's whimsical acrylic and watercolor illustrations add an additional layer of lightheartedness to the well-paced story.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sydney Smith. "Pangur Bán" is a ninth-century Old Irish poem about the simple contentment a monk and a cat find in work and life together. In this picture book edition, the adaptation is as unostentatious as the watercolor and ink illustrations, which meld a medieval spirit with a modern sense of cartooning, a juxtaposition that is fresh and seems entirely right. Author's note appended.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2016

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully. Maeve's grandpa unearths a mummy--common in Ireland, where (a note says) scores of remains have been found. Maeve's uneasiness at the find turns to empathy for the long-ago girl who, like her, had blond hair. McCully's masterful pen-and-ink lines capture Maeve's feelings; watercolors evoke the lush countryside. This is a sensitive opening to the universal theme of curiosity about death.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2012

(2) K-3 In this good-humored tale about the folly of counting on someone else to do your work, Jamie O'Rourke, "the laziest man in all of Ireland," and his cronies have a grand time while his wife is away, but the house ends up a mess. When a pooka, or animal spirit, arrives and cleans the place from top to bottom, Jamie thinks his problems are over. DePaola's cozy, colorful illustrations are a good match for the lighthearted, rhythmic text.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2000

(4) K-3 A ring lost in Ireland in 1830 ends up purchased by a couple in 1967 New York in this sweet tale about the passage of time and the endurance of love. The poetic text's deeper meaning may be lost on younger readers, but they will appreciate witnessing the ring's journey through time and place. Graham's moving illustrations are rendered with his usual light touch.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Ant Hill series. Illustrated by Will Terry. The ants are celebrating St. Patrick's Day with a parade. When they see a leprechaun ("'Green ant!' said Grant"), the parade veers off course to find his pot of gold-colored crackers ("'A treat!' said Pete"). With only very few words, the rhyming text conveys a complete and thoroughly entertaining story. The richly colored illustrations capture the fun from surprising angles.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Robin Hill School series. Illustrated by Mike Gordon. Two more enjoyable visits with Mrs. Connor's first-grade class find the students preparing for St. Patrick's Day by learning the differences between shamrocks and four-leaf clovers (Irish) and enjoying Parents Week, where Ayanna worries about her artist dad's nontraditional job until he wows her classmates (School). As always, the stories are age-appropriate and warmly illustrated. Review covers these Ready-to-Read: Robin Hill School titles: Dad Goes to School and The Luck of the Irish.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 A standard immigrant story turns dramatic when Fiona's Irish American family faces the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Polacco's own family history again provides the story's inspiration; an endnote reveals that the real Fiona's lace still exists. Polacco's emotionally resonant marker and pencil illustrations are equally adept at depicting the green Irish countryside and the grays and browns of Chicago life.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell. On St. Patrick's Day, Evan and his classmates (all dressed in green, of course) present reports on the history and legends of St. Patrick. When Evan goes home, his Irish American mother bakes soda bread that they share with their neighbors. The pedestrian story and cheerful illustrations provide a serviceable introduction to Irish American customs.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) 1-3 Horse Diaries series. Illustrated by Ruth Sanderson. Darcy is a Connemara pony owned by a family living on the West Coast of Ireland in the early twentieth century. As with the other books in the series, this is one part history, three parts horse book. Readers will root for the plucky horse protagonist and the children who care for her. Information on the breed and the historical setting is appended.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Curry. In the St. Patrick's Day contest with rival burg Tralah, young Fiona Riley's idea to paint the town green gives the town of Tralee hope for a win. When Tralee stops painting to help a red-bearded little man in green, it looks like they've sacrificed their chance to win. This folk-like tale of kindness rewarded features a winning heroine and lots of atmosphere in the rich illustrations.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2004

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Frances arrives in America from Ireland with a crystal necklace her mother gave her. Over many generations, it's handed down from mother to daughter for special occasions such as a birthday, performing an act of kindness, or completing a difficult task. The well-told fictional story honoring ancestry is inspired by Wyeth's family; Ibatoulline's rich gouache paintings help celebrate this history.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley