BOOKS O' THE IRISH: St. Patrick's Day Titles

Top o' the mornin' to ya! You're sure to find plenty of excitement, information and Irish flair in this collection of books. We've gathered titles about Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, as well as some rousing Irish folktales and poems for your reading pleasure. So, even if you're not Irish, we hope you'll find time to open one of these books and take a virtual trip to the Emerald Isle with your family on March 17th. Happy reading and Erin Go Bragh!

----- Shannon Maughan

A poor, kind peddler owns a cast-iron pot which is inscribed with a saying he can't read. After St. Patrick visits him in his dreams, the peddler heads to town and finds someone who can translate his pot. It says "Here I stand, old and good, With something better under me." With this kind of clue, he digs underneath his house to find a fortune in gold.

Straight from the Emerald Isle comes this collection of traditional Irish verse. Playful, pretty and just plain interesting, you'll love to read aloud these poems with old-fashioned Irish flavor. From fairies ("The Fairy Shoemaker") to elves ("The Little Elf Man") to animals ("The Thin Cat"), there's something here to delight almost everyone.

Margaret is a beautiful and strong woman who runs her own farm in County Donegal. But she's grown tired of her ordinary life and longs for adventure. So when a tall ship docks in the harbor just below her property, Margaret begs the captain, King Simon, to go along with them. Soon Margaret has more adventure than she bargained for --- after a big storm, Margaret is separated from the ship's crew and comes eye-to-eye with a sea serpent. After her ordeal she is washed ashore and taken in by a woman who turns out to be a witch. Can Margaret outwit her and save the day? Find out in this rousing book.

The giant Finn MacCoul finds himself in some big trouble when a Scottish bully (and a fellow giant) named Cucullin challenges Finn to a fight. But when Finn heads home to his wife for advice, he finds he has nothing to fear. Oonagh is a very clever woman who uses a bit of fairy magic to play tricks on Cucullin and send him running into the hills in fear.

It's a good thing that Jamie O'Rourke is married to a hardworking woman, because he is the laziest man in Ireland. And when his wife injures her back, Jamie wonders how he'll get by, having to do things for himself. Luckily, a leprechaun gives Jamie a magic seed that grows into the biggest potato anyone has ever seen. Pretty soon, the whole village is up to its eyeballs in potato dishes, as they find ways to cook the monster spud.

When Donald O'Dell saves a leprechaun's life, he's entitled to the greatest reward: a pot of gold. But Donald turns the gift down. Unfortunately, the leprechaun won't accept no for an answer and finds all sorts of funny and clever ways to give Donald his gold prize.

This look at the life of Saint Patrick also contains five of the best-known legends that have been written about him, including the story of how he rid Ireland of snakes.

This picture book biography focuses not on the legends about St. Patrick but on letters he wrote and the few facts known about his life. But even without the Irish stories about him, Patrick's life is plenty exciting. He was sold into slavery by pirates as a boy, and later heard voices calling him to do the work of God and convert the Irish people to the Catholic faith.

In simple text and bright illustrations, Gibbons fills us in on the life of this saint and why and how we celebrate his special day. You'll find legends, shamrocks and shillelaghs galore.

According to the old Irish legend, one of the greatest things St. Patrick ever did (before he became a saint) was to drive all the snakes away from Ireland. In this feisty picture book we find Patrick doing battle with the one snake who refused to go. Patrick finally finds a way to trick the snake and sinks him in Loch Ness in a locked box. But is that the end of the story? No way. Years later when Patrick checks up on the naughty snake he finds it has grown into....the LOCH NESS MONSTER!

Tooley is always complaining. He thinks he's got the worst luck in the world, and he rarely sees the bright side of things the way his chipper cat Gladsake does. When a little chubby man shows up at Tooley's door, he thinks it's one of the Friendly Folk (same as Wee Folk) come to bring him some good luck for a change. Tooley invites the little man in, only to find out he's a greedy monster who won't leave! Luckily Gladsake has a plan to get rid of the monster and save the day. Find out what it is when you read this book.

This picture book set in Ireland gives the traditional Cinderella story a fun twist. Becan, an Irish boy, has a miserable time living with his new, cruel stepmother. So he decides to run away. As he travels the countryside, he meets a magical bull who helps him slay a dragon and rescue a princess. But before the princess can thank Becan for his kindness, he disappears, accidentally leaving one of his boots behind. What do you think happens next?

Jamie O'Rourke, "the laziest man in all of Ireland," is back in this funny tale about a magical Pooka (a kind of animal spirit/ghost) who pays a nighttime visit to Jamie's cottage.

Kate O'Sullivan and her family are in a tough spot. They've been accused of horse stealing. They were really just trying to return an already-stolen horse to its rightful owner. But in the process, they've made the king and a local witch very angry. Now the O'Sullivans are sentenced to hang. Luckily, quick-thinking Kate has a plan. She creates a batch of colorful stories so clever they earn her family's freedom.

Tim O'Toole is the poorest of farmers --- until he meets a group of jolly "Wee Folk," little magical people (think leprechauns) who bring good luck, and often star in Irish fairy tales and legends. The Wee Folk supply Tim with a magic duck and a napkin that always holds all the food Tim and his wife can eat. But when the greedy McGoons trick Tim out of his gifts, the Wee Folk step in to help their friend retrieve his fortune.

Tom is a minstrel traveling the Irish countryside barely scraping by on the money he earns from playing his harp. He's sure he could make more money if he had a fancier looking harp. That's when leprechaun Sean O'Dell magically appears, offering Tom a harp made of gold. The expensive instrument brings om more money, but not happiness --- or even great sounding music. Find out how he fixes the problem in this original Irish tale.