Recommended St. Patrick's Day Picture Books
Children Ages 4–8 Read About Irish Holiday History and Celebrations
Feb 23, 2009
Children who might not listen to lectures about history and other dry factual information can learn important details about a holiday like St. Patrick's Day from reading trade picture books. A well-illustrated nonfiction picture book can teach children about St. Patrick's Day history, while a fun fictional picture book can show children how other people celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Use the following recommended St. Patrick's Day picture books as read-alouds or as part of a collection of St. Patrick's Day stories for children to read to themselves.
St. Patrick's Day Nonfiction Picture Books
For general information about St. Patrick's Day history, try Gail Gibbons' St. Patrick's Day [Holiday House, 1994], yet another of her many well-illustrated and information-packed nonfiction books on important holidays. This offering provides children with easy to understand information about who St. Patrick was, some symbols of Ireland, and how and why people celebrate St. Patrick's Day. It ends with short retellings of some of the main legends about St. Patrick.
For a slightly more in-depth look at this March 17th holiday, parents and teachers can share Let's Celebrate St. Patrick's Day by Peter and Connie Roop [Millbrook Press, 2003] with children. This informative and entertaining nonfiction picture book includes not just facts about the holiday and St. Patrick's life and deeds, but also fun riddles and limericks, leprechaun information, information about the blarney stone, and ideas for foods to serve at a St. Patrick's Day feast.
St. Patrick's Day Celebrations Picture Books
Jack and the Leprechaun by Ivan Robertson [Random House, 2000] is a playful animal fantasy about a mouse visiting his family in Ireland and learning about St. Patrick's Day celebrations and leprechauns. Children will enjoy looking at the mice family's St. Patrick's Day decorations and St. Patrick's Day food and be delighted by the surprise ending when the local leprechaun leaves a present of a pot of...cheese!
In Jeremy Bean's St. Patrick's Day by Alice Schertle [Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1987], a young boy's excitement about celebrating St. Patrick's Day at school is dampened by his nervousness around the school principal and the fact that he forgets to wear green on the special day. Children will enjoy reading how Jeremy solves both problems and seeing how Jeremy's class plans a fun St. Patrick's Day party.
St. Patrick's Day Parade Picture Books
In St. Patrick's Day in the Morning by Eve Bunting [Houghton Mifflin, 1980], a young boy living in an Irish country village wants to march up to the top of Acorn Hill in the St. Patrick's Day parade. However, everyone thinks he is too little to march all that way. So, when he is the first to wake up on St. Patrick's Day morning, he borrows possessions from other members of his family and marches up to the top of the hill by himself with only the family sheepdog for company. Any child wanting to prove him or herself will empathize with Jamie's situation and be pleased by his accomplishment.
Mary McLean and the St. Patrick's Day Parade by Steven Kroll [Scholastic Inc., 1991] mixes historical fiction with fantasy. On the realistic side, it gives details of how the potato famine drove Irish families to move to America and depicts clearly how this particular family lives in Manhattan once they arrive in America. On the fantasy side, one of the characters is a leprechaun who has followed all the Irish immigrants to see why America is drawing so many people away from Ireland. Mary hopes the leprechaun will help her make her dream of riding in the St. Patrick's Day parade come true, and children can discuss whether Mary really saw the leprechaun and just where exactly the shamrock her father gives her comes from. An author's note at the back gives more factual information about Irish immigration, St. Patrick's Day celebrations, and the life of St. Patrick.
Sharing St. Patrick's Day trade picture books with children can help kids understand aspects of Irish culture and St. Patrick's Day history and give them a greater appreciation of both this Irish holiday and the Irish people. For further reading fun, parents and teachers can also check out some recommended leprechaun folktale picture books or check out lesson plans for teaching reading comprehension skills with Irish folktales.
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