Recommended Leprechaun Folktale Picture Books
St. Patrick's Day Irish Folktales for Children Ages 4 to 8
Parents and teachers searching for St. Patrick's Day picture books and St. Patrick's Day read-alouds can share the following folktale picture books with children ages 4 to 8.
Funny Leprechaun Tales
In Leprechauns Never Lie by Lorna and Lecia Balian [Star Bright Books, Inc., 2004], a leprechaun leads lazy Ninny Nanny on a difficult but comical search for his pot of gold, tricking her in the process into finally doing her neglected housework.
That's What Leprechauns Do by Eve Bunting [Clarion Books, 2005] is an interesting look into the normal day's work of a trio of leprechauns who struggle to stay focused on their job while being distracted over and over by various golden opportunities to cause mischief. In a funny twist, their actual work ends up being as boring as that of any clockwatcher: they wait fruitlessly next to their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for some lucky person to show up, but no one ever does, and finally they pack up and go home like any office drone.
Leprechaun Tales That Teach a Lesson
Leprechaun Gold by Teresa Bateman [Holiday House, 1998] is a sweet, touching tale in which a leprechaun must trick a kind-hearted man into accepting a reward (the "gold" of a loving wife) in return for helping the leprechaun.
Every year the two towns in A Fine St. Patrick's Day by Susan Wojciechowski [Random House, 2004] compete to put up the best St. Patrick's Day's decorations, and every year Tralee loses. When a child comes up with an idea that will make them sure to win, will the townspeople still take time out from their efforts to win the competition to help a mysterious stranger? This tale teaches lessons about the worth of helping others and working together, and can also provide children with fun decoration ideas for their own St. Patrick's Day celebrations.
Origin Folktales
Fiona's Luck by Teresa Bateman [Charlesbridge, 2007] is an interesting story that explains where all the luck in Ireland comes from. The book celebrates the importance of being smart, and children will be entertained by Fiona's wit, but the complex vocabulary, idiomatic turns of phrase, and intricate plot make this story suitable mainly for advanced readers.
The Hungry Leprechaun by Mary Calhoun [William Morrow, 1962] is a funny leprechaun tale that explains where potatoes come from. Children will enjoy the comic results of the leprechaun's first two attempts to turn things to gold, and the book leads well into a discussion about fulfilling people's needs and what is truly important in life.
In Fin M'Coul by Tomie dePaola [Holiday House, 1981], the creation of the Giant's Causeway is a secondary plot thread next to the main narrative of how Fin's clever wife Oonagh uses her wits to save her husband from the giant Cucullin.
Too Many Leprechauns by Stephen Krensky [Simon & Schuster Books, 2007] is a cleverly plotted and presented funny folktale about a rogue who outsmarts the noisy local leprechauns to force them to move away. It doubles as an origin tale explaining why leprechauns keep their gold at the end of the rainbow.
Retellings of Traditional Irish Folktales
Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato by Tomie dePaola [Penguin Putnam, 1992] retells an Irish folktale Tomie dePaola once heard about the laziest man in Ireland. It shows how Jamie changes his life and the lives of everyone around him by growing the biggest potato in Ireland with comic results. It can be used to discuss the relative merits of laziness and cleverness, as well as how each person in a community can affect the lives of the others.
Tim O'Toole and the Wee Folk by Gerald McDermott [Viking Penguin, 1990] is a funny retelling of the old European folktale "The Table, the Ass, and the Stick." Merry leprechauns give Tim two magic gifts, each of which he loses to the thieving McGoons. The third gift, however, teaches both the McGoons and Tim's neighbors a lesson about trying to take advantage of another person's kind nature and hospitality.
Clever Tom and the Leprechaun by Linda Schute [Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1988] is a straightforward but charming retelling of the classic traditional Irish folktale in which a man's clever attempt to mark the spot where a leprechaun's treasure is buried is foiled by an act of even greater cleverness by the leprechaun.
Sharing leprechaun folktale picture books with children will teach them about Irish lore and culture as well as entertaining them. For further reading fun, parents and teachers can also check out other recommended St. Patrick's Day picture books that teach about the history and celebration of St. Patrick's Day or check out lesson plans for teaching reading comprehension skills with Irish folktales.
St. Patrick's Day Picture Books About Leprechauns
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