Happy St. Patrick's Day! Cozy up with your favorite wee leprechaun and one of these great books:

 

The Night Before St. Patrick's Day, Natasha Wing

It's the night before St. Patrick's day and all through the house ... two children are wide awake and setting traps to catch a leprechaun. Set in the same meter as the Clement Moore classic, The Night Before St. Patrick's Day tells the story of two children who wake up on St. Patrick's Day morning to find they have actually caught a leprechaun!   

 

Tim O'Toole and the Wee Folk, Gerald McDermott

Tim O'Toole is so poor that his neighbors avoid him, fearing his bad luck will rub off on them. But will his fortune be made when he stumbles across a band of the wee folk and demands a part of their treasure? McDermott's tale is filled with sly Irish humor and soft but vivid illustrations.  

 

Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato, Tomie dePaola
"Jamie O'Rourke is the laziest man in all of Ireland." So begins this well-known children's book by author and illustrator Tomie dePaola. In the story, lazy Jamie O'Rourke doesn't lift a finger, even after his wife hurts her back. Without her efforts, lazy Jamie is sure that he'll starve to death, but as luck would have it, he chances upon a leprechaun who gives him that largest "pratie" (potato) in the world, in exchange for letting him go.  

 

St. Patrick's Day in the Morning, Eve Bunting

It's March 17, and young Jamie wakes up to realize that it's St. Patrick's Day. His whole family is walking in the day's parade, but he is too young and too small to join in. He decides to take matters (and his trusty flute) into his own small hands, and embarks on an early morning walk with his trusty dog Nell. Kids will love the fact that Jamie climbs all the way up the hill and back when everyone said he couldn't. 

 

Mary McLean and the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Steven Kroll

This St. Patrick's Day picture book blends aspects of both the history and folklore behind St. Patrick's Day. The story portrays the difficult life that many Irish immigrants faced upon coming to America in the late 19th century. But it balances this reality out with a bit of fantasy in the form of a visiting leprechaun. The story focuses on Mary McLean, a young girl who dreams of riding in New York City's St. Patrick's Day parade.

 

See also:

• St. Patrick's Day quotes