The Luckiest Leprechaun Book Review and Activities

Inside: Book review of The Luckiest Leprechaun and lots of follow-up activities.

Hello! This is a repost and update from 7 years ago.

But The Luckiest Leprechaun is STILL my favourite St. Patrick's Day book so I thought it was definitely worth featuring this post.  I should say, though, that St. Patrick's Day isn't actually mentioned in the book, but it has a leprechaun and it's VERY sweet and very Irish.
 

I read this book to my class today and they liked it so much they clapped at the end :) Then, for the next hour, child after child quietly approached me and asked if I believed in leprechauns or was it only a myth. How sweet is that?

Title: The Luckiest Leprechaun: A Tail-Wagging Tale of Friendship

Author: Justine Korman

Illustrator: Denise Brunkus

Publishing: BridgeWater Paperback, 2000

Audience: Ages 4 to 7

Theme: Fiction, Leprechaun Lore, Friendship

Opening: "MacKenzie O'Shamrock, at your service. But you can call me Mac. I'm a leprechaun -- and I don't care if you believe in me or not. Get too close and I'll show you who's real with my hammer. I may be small, but we leprechauns are not to be trifled with! There, now that that's settled, pull up a toadstool, or a chair if you're too big, and I'll tell you my story."

Synopsis: Grumpy ol' Mac, the leprechaun with attitude, begrudgingly befriends an adorable mutt. But not before a heart-thumping adventure or two, involving a gold-seeking human who actually believes in the little people!

Why I Like It: 'Cause it co-stars a sweet doggie, I love all fantastical stories, and  it's so much fun to read with an Irish brogue (and the kids don't even notice if you're awful). And of course the very predictable, but satisfying ending.

Resources:

You can find lots of St. Patrick's Day crafts at Kinder Art and Little Giraffes.

The story has many toadstool pictures in it (as you can see above) so it would be fun to have the kids paint their own.  

 

The painting below looks like it was done with watercolor, crayon and black sharpie. I couldn't find directions for it, but I imagine it's a directed drawing since it was done by a child in Kindergarten. You can see the original post at Art Projects for Kids.

If you're looking for more books, be sure to go to Amazon for a wonderful selection!

I have lots more St. Patrick Day ideas and resources here.

 

Be sure to check out these leprechaun calendar cards. 

May the luck o' the Irish be with you!

Thanks for stopping by, friends!

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