Dex: The Heart of a Hero

I've been a fan of Caralyn and Mark Buehner since I read Fanny's Dream. When my daughter had a chance to hear them speak recently at the Springville Library (the library where she runs an incredible teen program!) she got a them to autograph copies of Fanny's Dream and Dex: The Heart of a Hero for me, which is like gold in our family!

Dex: The Heart of a Hero, written by Caralyn Buehner, and illustrated by her husband, Mark Buehner, is just plain cute. Dex, the weenie dog desperately wants to be a hero, but he can't even defend himself from tauntings of the neighborhood tomcat Clevis.

But Dex has a rich imaginary life, shared with the reader through comic strips frames that portray Dex as a flying superhero and he decides that he was tired of wanting to be a hero, he was going to start being a hero.

He begins to train by reading every superhero comic book and watching every superhero movie he can find. He starts a vigorous exercise program, and in one of my students' favorite frames, finally discovers his muscles. Dex even orders himself a superhero uniform, which garnered lots of laughs from my class because, let's face it - weenie dogs look comical in superhero get-ups.

The minute he ties on his shiny green cape, Dex begins helping others in any way that he can. His crowning achievement, however, involves rescuing the very tomcat who has been torturing him. All hail Super Dog!

I'll avoid spoiling the ending for you, but it is cute.

Mark Buehner's work is among my favorite in the world of illustrators. My first Mark Buehner book was Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm and I was hooked. His pictures, even when depicting events that take place in darkness, are always bright and vivid. He is great with facial expressions and, in this particular book, has hidden rabbits, cats and T-rexes throughout the illustrations, which motivated my students to scour every picture. Their hidden pictures treasure hunt generated discussions about a number of things they would not have otherwise noticed.

Read this story, heck, make it a dog stories week and add The Hallo-wiener, the Martha Speaks series, Dog Breath, Harry the Dirty Dog, Walter the Farting Dog series and Dogzilla. The giggles are half the fun!

Giraffes Can't Dance

Poor Gerald the giraffe has a bad case of the wish-I-coulds. He's really good at doing the things that giraffes are supposed to do, but what he really wants to do is get down and boogie at the annual Jungle Dance.

He watches all the other animals waltz, rock 'n' roll, tango and cha-cha, but when Gerald walks onto the dance floor, the other animals sneer and jeer and he leaves the dance feeling utterly alone.

Luckily, a clever cricket gives him some good advice and Gerald discovers that "We can all dance...when we find music that we love."

Giraffe's Can't Dance, written by Giles Andreae is delightful. The rhyming text draws in young readers and immediately creates empathy for Gerald. My 1st and 2nd graders couldn't help themselves as Gerald was bullied out of the dance, I heard multiple whispers, "That's so sad," "Why are they doing that?" "That's mean." "Poor Gerald." But when Gerald starts grooving to the music of the violin-playing cricket, they were giddy - giggling, gasping, and cheering for his new moves.

Guy Parker-Rees' bright illustrations were created with watercolor, pen and ink. There are a couple of pages I particularly like - the scene by the bonfire at the dance, all the animals bathed in firelight takes me back to all our Dillon Beach campouts, and the scene with Gerald closing his eyes, listening to the world around him. I can just imagine the effort it took to shut out the voices in his head, the distant sounds of the Jungle Dance, and listen for his own kind of music.

Enjoy this little gem with your little ones!

The Leprechaun's Gold

I post a lot of St. Patrick's Day books! I'm not particularly fond of the holiday, so I've been trying to figure out why I am apparently obsessed with these books.

A few moments ago, a memory flashed into my mind of my dad sitting at my bedside at the 210th Street house, telling me about O'Shaunnesy, O'Toole and O'Day, the three leprechauns who would visit me on St. Patrick's Day eve and leave a treat (if I would just GO TO SLEEP!) When I would awaken the next morning, there would be a small bundle at the foot of my bed with gold (chocolate) coins and a couple of other trinkets and candies. Mystery solved - I miss my dad.

Today I read this gem to both of my classes and they loved it. I'm tempted to say that their fascination with this story has something to do with the Irish accent I use when reading the dialogue, but, let's not kid ourselves.

Sidebar: years ago, when I was teaching first grade in California, I had them all gathered for Circle Time on St. Paddy's Day. I thought it would be fun to lead the entire routine in my Irish accent, and it was - they were completely enthralled and I could see that some of them weren't sure it was really me. But one young man, Ben, was laughing uncontrollably - literally rolling on the floor, holding his belly and laughing. I was delighted that I had tickled his funny bone so thoroughly. Finally, he cried out, "Stop! I can't take it any more! You have to stop speaking Spanish!" Yep, that's how good my Irish accent is.

Back to this colorful, fun book - The Leprechaun's Gold, written by Pamela Duncan Edwards, illustrated by Henry Cole. We meet Young Tom and Old Pat, two Irish harpists living in the same small village. Old Pat taught Young Tom to play the harp and Young Tom soon believed his skills to be far superior to those of his teacher. He begins to make a career by charging for his harp-playing services, while Old Pat is content to play for anyone, anytime, no charge.

Soon a contest is announced by the king and all harpists in Ireland are invited to compete for the title of best harpist. Young Tom decides to travel to the venue with Old Pat because he is sure Old Pat will share his food, thus saving Young Tom some money. Their first night on the road, Young Tom sabotages Pat's harp and while this mini-drama is unfolding, they hear a cry in the woods. Young Tom refuses to investigate because of the well-known danger of leprechauns playing tricks. But Old Pat soon realizes that the cries for help are genuine and follows the sound to find a leprechaun in need of help. He gladly assists him and once the leprechaun hears Pat's tale, he decides he must repay him. Pat resists, so the leprechaun causes him to fall asleep so he can work his magic unencumbered.

In the morning, Old Pat wakes to find young Tom has deserted him, so he heads for the castle alone. The competition is in full swing and Pat arrives just in time to hear Tom play. Unfortunately, Tom falls into some "bad luck" and is unable to finish his performance.

When Pat's turn comes, he pulls his harp from the bag and in it's place is a beautiful, gold leprechaun harp. I'll let you find out the ending when you read the story, but it's definitely a feel-good ending.

The illustrations are steeped in greens and golds, splashed with bright colors and a liberal dose of Pat's good nature. Cole adds to the fun of this Irish tale by hiding shamrocks on each page for young readers to find.

The Leprechaun's Gold - add it to your collection and read it in your best Irish accent to a wee one.

If you're looking for a fun, easy prep St. Paddy's math activity, head on over to my TPT store! I've got Lucky Charms math packs for bother upper and lower elementary classes.

Looking for more St. Patrick's Day book suggestions? Click here.
And here
And here
And one more

Fiona's Luck

St. Patrick's Day is just a few days away and I find myself wanting to add to my collection of St. Paddy's tales, so I went to my go-to site, Amazon.com and started searching.

Luckily for me, I found this golden nugget, Fiona's Luck, written by Teresa Bateman, illustrated by Kelly Murphy. The story and the illustrations are equally delightful and readers will be enchanted from the very first sentence: "Once, luck was as free to be had in Ireland as sunlight, and just as plentiful."

Bateman uses rich, rhythmic prose to craft a tale of the cunning Fiona, who realizes that the disappearance of all luck from Ireland must be "the work of the leprechauns" and turns the tables on the king of the leprechauns in order to restore luck to Ireland.

The leprechaun king is determined to win their bargain, but Fiona, whose shrewd ruse gains her access to the world of the leprechauns, exactly as she expects, circumvents him at every turn and triumphs in the end. Luck is restored to Ireland and still roams free today.

Well-formed phrases such as "one midsummer's eve," "in a trice," "glorious cavern," and "steeped in luck," not only enrich a young reader's vocabulary, but strengthen inferential and context clues skills as well.

Murphy's illustrations are anchored in greens with muted golden undertones - a constant reminder that the tale is set on the Emerald Isle.

Fiona is an strong, clever, intelligent female character who correctly surmises, "Luck's all well and good, but myself? I'd rather depend on my wits."

Follow the rainbow to find this pot of gold in your local library or at your favorite online book dealer.

Wonder

I finished reading this little gem today and love, love, loved it! Wonder, R. J. Palacio's first novel, has quickly become a favorite of anyone I've talked to who has read it, adults and children alike.

Auggie Pullman is a 5th grader who is starting private school after years of being home schooled. He's not worried about keeping up academically, but he is worried about finding friends. Not an unusual concern for someone about to become the new kid, but he's only navigated a few friendships in his short life, not because he lacks the opportunity or social skills, but because his face is deformed and other children are reluctant to come near him.

Auggie is used to stares, whispers, shock, tight smiles, and even screams, but experiencing that all day, every day will be an adjustment he's not sure he wants to make.

Palacio tells the story of Auggie's 5th grade year not only through Auggie's eyes, but through the eyes of those who love him - his sister, Olivia and her friends Justin and Miranda, and his friends Jack and Summer. August and Olivia give the reader clear insight into their parents' view, but all of the voices telling the story are the voices of children and teenagers who understand the social ramifications each of the others face when they commit to becoming part of Team Auggie.

I shed more than a few tears and laughed out loud several time as the kids told their stories. There are characters who are redeemed and those whose pride doesn't allow redemption. Readers will enjoy meeting the frenemies, the love-blind parents, the long-suffering, invisible sister, and watching the transformation of the student body at Beecher Prep as they learn that the old saying is true - what matters is what is on the inside.

For those who want more Auggie, there is a companion to this novel titled Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories, which is waiting for me at my local library.

A Gift for Abuelita

It's an understatement to say that my life has been crazy lately.  I'm now teaching the English component of a multi-age Spanish Immersion program. I love a challenge and this new assignment fits the bill. Now that I'm out from under the heavy load that a teacher new to a site experiences, I can start posting again.

One of the fun things about teaching in this program is that I have the opportunity to participate in many experiences unique to Hispanic cultures. Before this week, I did not understand the purpose of the holiday The Day of the Dead, or el Dia de Los Muertos.  Since I was unfamiliar with its meaning, I'll admit to being a bit put off by both the name and the symbols associated with it. I'm not big on Halloween either, for the record. But now that our program is immersing itself in preparing for the big day, I find that I am touched and appreciative rather than apprehensive.

This afternoon, my teaching partner gave me a book to read to the first and second graders to help prepare them for our upcoming el Dia de los Muertos celebration.  She had read it to them in Spanish, but thought they might like to hear it in English for better comprehension.  And so, I began reading A Gift for Abuelita: Celebrating the Day of the Dead.

Sweet is the perfect adjective to describe this story. It begins with a young girl, Rosita and her grandmother having quiet, meaningful conversations as Abuelita teaches Rosita how to braid, make tortillas, tend a garden and many other tasks. When Abuelita becomes ill and passes away, Rosita misses her dearly.

As el Dia de Los Muertos approaches, the entire family begins to create their offerings -  remembrances for each of their loved ones who have passed. Rosita begins a braid for Abuelita.  It becomes clear as preparations are made that Rosita has misunderstood.the events of el Dia de Los Muertos and believes that Abuelita will be there, just as she was in life.

The family gathers to celebrate and Rosita keeps asking why Abuelita has not arrived yet.  Finally, her father realizes that Rosita doesn't understand and clarifies for her that Abuelita will not be there in person, but that Rosita will feel her spirit and know when she is there.

I fought tears throughout the story, but as the author describes Rosita's gift to her grandmother in tender detail and the moment when Rosita feels her near, I could not hold them back. While this is a fairly common occurrence for me, my new littles hadn't seen it yet.  Well, they saw it today and while it wasn't an "ugly cry," it was one of those squeaky, I-can-barely-read-aloud cries.  The good news is that this group of children understood what I meant when I explained the difference between my crying at that moment and crying because of anger, sadness, or pain. We had a great discussion, and several of them shared their personal experiences with crying because something sweet touches your heart.

I highly recommend this book - as an introduction to Day of the Dead or just to comfort a child who has recently lost a loved one.

Guest Post #2 - Elise

This is Elise, a 5th grader with a ravenous appetite for literature. She enjoys writing short stories, she is a jump rope expert, and a delightful young woman.

Today, she'd like to tell you why she loved reading City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende.

I think you should read City of the Beasts because it includes adventure, fantasy and there are two main characters, so the reader gets to hear the story from two points of view. They have a mission to accomplish, which adds to the suspense.  I really like her writing style - she weaves multiple plots into her storytelling, which adds depth to the characters and the plot. 

Alexander Cold goes to his grandmother's apartment in New York for the summer while his mother is being treated for cancer, only to find that they are going on a trip to the Amazon rain forest.  They've been sent to verify the existence of a creature known to locals as the Beast and provide health care to the indigenous tribes.  While there, Alex makes a friend, a girl his age named Nadia.  At camp, they are kidnapped by a local tribe that doesn't want their whereabouts revealed. Alex and Nadia must learn the tribe's way of life while they are waiting to be rescued. 

SPOILER ALERT: 
The tribe decides to show Alex and Nadia that the Beast does exist in a fascinating visit to a city where more than one of his kind dwell.  They each find a magical item that will help someone they love and must find a way to retrieve the items and safely return to their camp.

This is book one in a trilogy.  You should get them from the library or anywhere you can and start reading today!

Thanks to Elise for being a guest poster. You can trust this girl's taste in books - she has read enough genres and authors to know what she likes.

Here's a link to two TED Talks by author Isabel Allende.

Elise's picture was published with the permission of her parents.

St. Patrick's Day - Part 3

My last St. Patrick's Day installment...for this year :)  These three gems come to us from 3 well-known children's authors: Teresa Bateman, Eve Bunting and Patricia Polacco.

Let's start with Harp O' Gold, written by Teresa Bateman, illustrated by Jill Weber.  Tom is a wandering minstrel who envisioned for himself a life of leisure, sharing his musical talents with the rich and famous.  His music is beautiful and his audiences love it, but he and his wooden harp entertain the common folk and his livelihood depends on them sharing their food and offering him a place to stay for the night.  Tom is confident that if he had a finer looking harp, his life would change.

He gets the chance to find out when a leprechaun trades him a fine, gold harp for his battered wooden one.  Despite the fact that the strings make his fingers sore and the harp produces a hollow, tinny, soulless sound, but his new audiences - the rich and famous - applaud him loudly.  He finds that it isn't all he hoped it would be - the nobles and their friends don't really care about music, they just like showing off the golden harp and having another underling to boss around.

The king hears about the golden harp and the musician who plays it and Tom soon finds himself living in the king's castle, entertaining the king on demand.

He realizes after a few days that he is actually a prisoner in the palace, so he disguises himself and flees to the forest to find the leprechaun and regain his harp and his freedom.

Tom finds the leprechaun and gets his worn, wooden harp back.  As he begins to play,  "the sound resonated and filled an empty place in his heart."  Tom is content to play for those who appreciate his beautiful music as much as he loves playing it.

Bright, colorful pictures created with acrylics and acrylic-based watercolors add to the happy feeling of this tale.  The story is written simply, but includes rich vocabulary for young ones.  The message is clear - be careful what you wish for ;)

St. Patrick's Day in the Morning, written by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jan Brett is a sweet tale of little Jamie who is not old enough to participate in the village parade to the top of Acorn Hill.  He wakes up early and sees the rest of the family's parade clothing laid out and decides to don a piece of each family member's clothing and hike Acorn Hill alone because, "what do they know?"

He and his dog, Nell, walk through the town, stopping to visit with townspeople along the way.  He makes it to the top of Acorn Hill and heads back down as the sun peeks over the hill.

He returns home and curls up in the rocking chair and falls fast asleep.  His family wakens to find him sleeping soundly and as his brother comments that he must be sad that he is too little to walk in the parade, Jamie smiles to himself and thinks, "what did he know?"

Jan Brett's 4-color illustrations (green, yellow, white, and black) are charming and prove yet again, that Jan Brett knows how to draw the wonder of childhood.  She shows the town's preparations for the holiday with a light touch, keeping the focus on Jamie's determination.

Eve Bunting deftly tells the tale a young boy's determination to prove he's not too little to do something he really wants to do. While the holiday is the underlying theme, it doesn't dominate the story, but is acknowledged mostly through the illustration.

A fine tale, indeed, for a St. Patrick's day morning.

Last, but definitely not least, is Patricia Polacco's Fiona's Lace.  Polacco's stories are treasures - heartfelt, homey, rich and touching - she writes about the things that are important to her and her love for the characters is palpable on every page.  Published last August, it is her latest book and well worth a trip to the library.

Fiona and her little sister love to hear the story of how their mother made the most beautiful lace in all of Ireland.  Her father wanted to court her, but none of her workmates would tell him where she lived.  One day, he discovers that bits of lace are tied to tree branches, fence posts, and other landmarks and he follows them all the way to Annie's home.  They marry and now their daughter's are learning to make Irish lace while Annie's hands are suffering from arthritis.

The little family leaves Ireland when the closing of the mill makes it difficult for anyone to survive in their village.  They sign a contract to work for a wealthy family in Chicago until their passage is paid off, so they pack the belongings they are able to take with them and the long journey begins, with Fiona making lace the entire time.

When they arrive, they discover they are not living in quarters at the home of the wealthy family, but in a tenement filled with other immigrants who have to work 2 or 3 jobs to survive because they don't receive their first paycheck from the wealthy family until they have paid back their passage.  While their parents work day and night, Fiona continues to make lace and a local dressmaker is so impressed, he offers to pay "a pretty penny" for as much as she can make.

Before the family can save enough money to buy their own hone, the Great Chicago Fire sweeps through the town and Fiona and her sister must run to safety.  With mother and father away at their second jobs, the girls fear they will never see them again.  The story of their parents' courtship pops into Fiona's mind and she quickly begins to tie bits of her lace onto everything she can find to mark their path.  They run until "they tasted blood in the backs of their throats" and hide in a basement through the night, hoping that their parents are alive and will be able to find them.

It is everything you would expect from a Patricia Polacco book.  Need I say more?

If you're looking for a fun, easy prep St. Paddy's math activity, head on over to my TPT store! I've got Lucky Charms math packs for bother upper and lower elementary classes.

How Emily Blair Got Her Fabulous Hair

Ever had Hair Envy?  First grader Emily Blair hates her hair.  It's just too darned straight!  She ties grapevines tendrils to to head, eats carrot curls, rubs heads with a poodle, makes a wish on the tail of a pig, and makes a wig our of macaroni, but nothing works. Even when she puts it in rollers, it won't hold a curl, so when she finds a new friend, Pamela Paine, "whose whole head rippled with golden waves," she is in pretend beauty parlor heaven.

Emily creates a whole set of gorgeous hairstyles for Pamela, each to match a different glamorous personality. But when Pamela asks for a braid, Emily can't quite make it work because Pamela's hair is TOO curly.  So Pamela offers to braid Emily's hair and they discover that Emily has perfect hair for braiding.

Emily learns to braid her own hair and creates intricate braids to match her many personas - and voila - Emily loves her very straight hair.

Little girls will love this story - the whimsical illustrations put the reader right in the center of the first grade beauty shop chaos.  Parents will appreciate the light lesson that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

St. Patrick's Day, Part 2

This is the St. Patrick's Day Girl Power edition!

O'Sullivan Stew - written and illustrated by Hudson Talbott
Kate O'Sullivan is a resourceful girl with a gift for storytelling.  The trouble starts when the village won't help the witch when the king's soldiers take her horse.  Their reasoning is that she's not one of them.  This ticks her off and she curses the village with a famine.

Kate decides she's had enough of starvation, so she proposes that she and her father and brothers go to the castle and steal back the horse.  They are reluctant, but she convinces them with this logic - "We're facing death in either case, by the hangman's rope of the empty plate.  Which way do you prefer to go?"

They get caught thanks to her clumsy father and are scheduled to be hung. But Kate's talent for storytelling with more than a touch of blarney earns them their freedom, one fantastical story and one family member at a time.

Once Kate has returned the horse, the witch lifts the curse and the village celebrates.  The king can't get Kate out of his mind, of course, so he comes to the village to find her and ask her to be his wife.  I won't spoil it, but her response is completely awesome.

Three of my favorite things about this book:  1)  Kate's utter confidence,  2)  her response to the king's proposal, and 3) the sign hanging above the village's celebration that reads "Everyone is One of Us."

There's something to be said for the continuity that comes when an author illustrates his own books. Talbott's illustrations are perfect for this story. - just the right blues and greens for an Irish village by the sea, the red hair is just the right tone, each picture is detailed, realistic and bright without being overwhelming.

Fun facts - Hudson Talbott traveled to Ireland to do research for this book.  His traveling companion was an O'Sullivan and they stayed with the O'Sullivan clan in Crookhaven.  You won't find these facts fun until you read the book, so I guess you need to do that. :)

Brave Margaret: An Irish Adventure - written by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Sally Wern Comport
San Souci, who passed away less than three months ago, is known for his adaptations of various forms of folklore.  One of his strengths is painting a vivid verbal picture of his characters and he has done that well with Margaret.

Margaret longs to see the world and when a prince docks his ship in the cove below her farm and comes to her asking for some of her livestock, she agrees to let him take her cattle IF she can travel with them.

A few days into the trip, they run into a sea serpent who demands they throw Margaret overboard or he will devour them.  While the men prepare to fight the serpent, Margaret rows out to meet the serpent and kills him.  She is tossed ashore and hits her head, falling unconscious.  When she comes to, she finds a small cottage and asks the old woman living within for shelter.

She stays for a few days, waiting for the storm to stop and as she is leaving, the price arrives.  When they try to leave together, they are unable to and soon discover that the old woman is a hag of sorceries.

This is where the story gets a little bit crazy, so I'm going to stick with the bare essentials. The hag sends Simon on a mission to slay a giant and he fails.  Margaret saves the day and Simon.  They are rewarded for accomplishing the mission and head for home.

A favorite line:  "I am the champion you have waited for!  What fools we are for thinking it must be a man who slays that great, dirty giant!"

This story is definitely for upper elementary ages, little ones will lose interest quickly.  San Souci uses rich vocabulary, a weaves an intriguing tale of courage and perseverance.

The illustrations, done in pastel, are beautiful, and have a dream-like quality to them.

Please include these books in your St. Patrick's Day collection!

If you're looking for a fun, easy prep St. Paddy's math activity, head on over to my TPT store! I've got Lucky Charms math packs for bother upper and lower elementary classes.

Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving

Laurie Halse Anderson has been making some noise in the YA lit world for years thanks to her passion for discussing tough topics so that young people know they are not alone in their struggles.  Did you know that she also writes picture books?

Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving is the story of Sarah Hale's (Anderson's ancestor, BTW) thirty-eight year campaign to have Thanksgiving become a national holiday.  Hale accomplished a great deal in her lifetime.  She was an author, magazine editor, teacher, publisher, and proponent of playgrounds, education for girls, and historical monuments.  She also wrote the song, "Mary Had a Little Lamb" when a lamb followed a student to school and waited outside all day for it's owner.  She raised five children on her own after her husband passed away while she was pregnant with their fifth child.  Superhero, indeed.

The text is conversational, interesting, and easy to follow, so younger readers will stay with it.  The information is well-researched, one of Anderson's strengths.  Be sure to read the Feast of Facts at the end of the book to learn more Thanksgiving, Sarah, and U.S. History during her lifetime. The messages are unmistakable and meaningful - one person can make a difference, the pen is mightier than the sword - but the star of this show is the illustrations by Matt Faulkner.  They sweep through the early history of our country with both detail and simplicity, leaving lasting images in the reader's mind.

This pair also teamed up to write and illustrate Independent Dames, another nonfiction book for young readers that is worthy of your time.  Anderson has also written several other picture books and and the Vet Volunteer series is aimed at young readers as well.

I had the opportunity to hear Anderson speak at BYU's Books for Young Readers Symposium several years ago.  She is charismatic and fervent in her desire to use her talents to not only entertain her readers, but provide hope and courage to those suffering in difficult situations - abuse, eating disorders, rape, bullying, etc...  and has written some heartfelt and heavy-hitting books to address these topics.

I highly recommend her young adult books, especially for young adults and teens who may be in need of some bibliotherapy, but parents of teens should read ahead of time to determine if they feel the content is appropriate for their teen - she deals with substantial issues in straightforward and sensitive ways.

Anderson is another fan-friendly author - she accepts friend requests on Facebook, writes a blog, and keeps her website up-to-date.

St. Patrick's Day, Part 1

When I was a little girl, on the night before St. Patrick's Day, my dad would remind me (in his best Irish accent) that the leprechauns would be visiting that night.  Not just any leprechauns, mind you, but O'Shaunessey, O'Toole and O'Day.  They would tiptoe into my room and leave a small gift on my bed and I relished this tradition.  With my own children, I colored all of our food and drink green on St. Patrick's Day.  I can still picture Michael's little face, peeking into the pan as I prepared Cream of Wheat for breakfast.  I would add the grain to the milk, wave my spoon over the pan and say the magic words, "Bibbidi bobbidi boo!" and stir.  The Cream of Wheat would turn green and he would be delighted.  Sigh.

Despite the fact that every single holiday is now blown completely out of proportion - who ever thought that teachers would be making leprechaun traps with their students, making green eggs and ham, teaching math with Lucky Charms, and sprinkling glitter and stamping tiny footprints all over their classrooms - I love reading holiday books with my students.  It brings a playful element to the classroom that is too often missing as we spend our days preparing them for test after test after test, and they spark some interesting conversations.

Today I want to introduce the first four books in my St. Patrick's Day series:

St. Patrick's Day - written and illustrated by Gail Gibbons
Gibbons specializes in nonfiction for children and she has it down!  This book gives simple, factual information about the origins of St. Patrick's Day and the different ways in which it is celebrated.  The last few pages contain brief synopses of the various legends about Saint Patrick.  Her illustrations are bright and clean, perfect for young readers.  If I could add one thing to this book, it would be pronunciations for the Irish words.

The Leprechaun Under the Bed - written by Teresa Bateman, illustrated by Paul Meisel
Loner leprechaun Brian O'Shea likes peace and quiet, so he is understandably distressed when Sean McDonald builds a home right on top of his comfortable burrow.  Over time, the two develop an unlikely friendship that benefits both of them.  I enjoyed the fact that the main character doesn't become a greedy tyrant once he figures out a leprechaun is living under his bed.  He considers it to be luck he can't afford to lose, so he begins to feed the leprechaun and the mischief comes from outside the walls of their home and that's a nice twist.  Click here to read an interview with author Teresa Bateman.

That's What Leprechauns Do - written by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully
A group of leprechauns see a storm coming and set off to move their pot of gold to the end of the rainbow.  They can't resist playing some tricks along the way, of course, but they get the pot of gold in place just in time.  Sadly, no one comes to find it and the leprechauns rebury the pot and head home.  The plot is weak - in fact, the strongest part of the text is the About Leprechauns page at the end of the book.  The illustrations of the leprechauns, however, are darling and I can imagine a child staring at them for quite a while, imagining what it would be like to encounter one.  Click here to watch an interview with Eve Bunting (born in Ireland, BTW).

Too Many Leprechauns or How that Pot o' Gold Got to the End of the Rainbow - written by Stephen Krensky, illustrated by Dan Andreason
Irish scallawag Finn O'Finnegan returns home from a walkabout to find that his village is a mess.  Nothing is getting done and everyone is exhausted because the leprechauns have invaded the village to cobble fairy shoes and the tap-tap-tapping of their tiny hammers keeps everyone awake.  Finn came home specifically to be spoiled by his mother, so he is highly motivated to fix this situation.  He cleverly tricks the leprechauns into bringing all their gold to the village square and then hides it.  The leprechauns agree to leave Dingle forever if he will return their gold.  They strike a bargain and when Finn restores the gold to the rightful owners, he introduces the leprechauns to the idea of keeping their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  Clever story, rich illustrations, worth your time to find it at the library or online.

More St. Paddy's books coming soon!

If you're looking for a fun, easy prep St. Paddy's math activity, head on over to my TPT store! I've got Lucky Charms math packs for bother upper and lower elementary classes.