1 comments about Crafts For St. Patrick'S Day (Holiday Crafts for Kids).

1. How can anyone not like St. Patty's Day. This has a variety of fairly easy and cute crafts, you're sure to find something to keep kids interested for a few minutes and end up with some festive holiday decorations!

1 comments about Hooray for St. Patrick's Day! (Lift-the-Flap, Puffin).

1. My children ages 6 and 3 really enjoyed this book. they really got a kick out of the flaps that you lift up and see whats under it.

4 comments about St. Patrick's Day.

1. This book gives a thorough, yet simple explanation about St. Patrick's Day. Each page has beautiful illustrations and one to three sentences. It gives a simple 2 page intro, then spends 7 pages about who Saint Patrick was, then 14 pages of all the ways people celebrate/symbols (church, leprechauns, shillelagh, harp, cards, sweets, flowers, plays, meal, parties, and parardes), then two pages on celebrating it in the US, and then 3 pages of legends about Saint Patrick. A great introduction for young children.



2. This is a beautifully illustrated, well written, story about the life of St. Patrick and descriptions of how and why we celebrate this holiday. My daughter is very interested in her Irish heritage and read it to her Kindergarten class this year. It was a hit!



3. I'm always a five star kind of reviewer, figuring if it wasn't great why say anything. Actually that applies to how I approach people and situations too. Except it can get to a point where...it's not fair to me. I have a right now and again to notice and speak to situations as they are... This has to be written up review-wise as something that just went stale. And I'd much rather pretend otherwise. Basic honesty however precludes delusions.
   
   Today I read this to my 1st graders watching them for reaction and it's just not there. This was nothing more than beautiful green illustrations and a few facts. I am sorry but I lost 'em. And lately that's hard to do, they love stories. Go get Tomie De Poala, really. Not to be mean, I love other Gail Gibbons, but I think pages that say some people wear green or have parties is scraping for material. Yeah, we knew that, thanks. Wow, green huh? Why not teach twenty Irish expressions, or show some native dress, or discuss the crafts of Ireland, or the cities or perhaps get some facts on major contributions of the Isle to our fair land, or discuss the potato famine, or even tell about St. Patty parades. But maybe I'm being a bit picky. But still. Some "decorate with shamrocks". Okay even moon people know this. My second language kids were rolling upside down in sheer boredom. Not even recounting specifics about what foods....Irish foods? Why not list some and put in a nice soda bread recipe or corned beef recipe. Come on if we are going to try it let's get inspired. Rip out some content. Sheer a sheep if you have too. Speaking of which I really recommend Charlie's Cloak, De Poala. What a winner.
   
   Teachers can get stuck in those content poor zones now and again, disappointed with this or that, maybe it's all in striving for excellence.. Or maybe my grumpy-ness...maybe it's getting the third wave of fevers having been terribly ill this month or the news of the passing of a loved one...ah well for whatever reason the cover is actually delightful and certainly the pictures sound, the text slimmer. My biggest dread in U Pick It Read Aloud Time is the students asking to go get drinks. Today was a record, they all went.It's not easy to put together a solid holiday book. This one fell flat today leaving me hanging there like a limp rag.Albeit a wet one.I really think it's one I'll put in the home book bags.Sorry.



4. Most or many of the stories like his banishing all of the snakes from Ireland are false. They are the evidence of exaggerated storytelling. Actually he was born in Britain in the fourth century. He was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders and transported to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. He was guided by visions to become a missionary to convert the Irish to Christianity.
   
   Actually, his family were not deeply religious, but most Irish practiced a pagan religion. This was changed due to the activities and beliefs of this saint. Spinning exciting tales to remember history has always been a part of Irish life. I always thought that my mother, Lettie Lane, was Irish. After seeing the PBS special, I am sure of it, though she did not have the lilting dialect, coming from the mountains of Union County. She died when I was seven. Alec was born on March 17. His brother Eric is a 711 child. It is thought that St. Patrick died on this date.

No comments about Luckiest St. Patrick's Day Ever.

1 comments about St. Patrick's Day Alphabet.

1. This is a really cute book with great illustrations that makes wonderful use of bright colors. It also tells good stories and is imaginative in the objects chosen to represent the individual letters. Being half-Irish, I did find it objectionable that one page said: "B is for beer. The Irish drink lots and lots of that!" HEY ONLY JOKING!!! That's not in here. Shame on me. Seriously, however, this is a pretty book and little ones should love it and parents too. Easily five stars.

2 comments about St. Patrick's Day Countdown.

1. This board book makes for a good introduction to St Patrick's Day for younger kids because of it's simple concepts, colorful pictures and sturdy construction. (It can also be used year 'round for it's counting.) "St. Patrick's Day Countdown" is a book that counts backwards from 5 down to 1 using St Patrick's Day theme items and then some; bunnies, shamrocks, a pot of gold... you get the idea. It's also fun because the book is not exactly book shaped but has grabbable shamrock "tabs" so little ones can help turn the pages. I bought this for my one year old niece and her mom said it was "perfect". I like that it does not have hit-you-over-the-head St. Patrick Day overtones (ie. nothing religious) to it but still captures the spirit of the day.



2. This book is perfect for babies & small children. My son is 9 months old & this is one of his favorite books. It has short phrases on each page while teaching numbers & doesn't have a lot of pages. The colors are bright & pictures are cute. The edges of the pages have a shamrock & my son finds it easy to turn the pages. He's also attracted to the cover because the shamrocks are shiny.

3 comments about It's St. Patrick's Day (Scholastic Readers).

1. This is a wonderful book to read for your St. Patrick's Day Celebration. Appealing illustrations and just the right amount of text for those 3-4 years olds with a shorter attention span. Great introduction to the holiday. Can be tied to your classroom activities (turn your juice green, ask an Irish Step dancer to visit, etc.) Highly recommended!



2. Perfect for Irish-Americans. Those who don't share the heritage might not understand what the book is talking about. It is a really cute book, beautifully illustrated.



3. This was a nice book on St. Patrick's day. I am not absolutely thrilled by it, but it is definately worth looking at.

2 comments about St. Patrick's Day (Rookie Read-About Holidays).

1. I teach first grade and I've just recently dicovered this wonderful series of holiday books. Most of the children in my First Grade can read these books easily and they love them. I use them as a take off point to develope a mini unit on that particular holiday. Some holidays are difficult to explain to a 6 year old, but all of the Rookie Read-About Holidays books handle it very well. If you have small children or teach, I strongly recommend this book and all in the series.



2. This little book is a nice intro to what St. Pat's Day is all about. I'd recommend using it for grade 1 through 3. Some interesting pictures, i.e. girls with their faces painted for St. Patrick's Day that students are likely to find amusing and engaging. It's also short enough to be shared with a class in 5 or 10 minutes. Check it out!

3 comments about St. Patrick's Day in the Morning (Clarion Books).

1. Young Jamie wakes early on St. Patrick's Day, much earlier than his sleeping family. He remembers that there will be a parade to the top of Acorn Hill today, and then he remembers that his brothers say he's too little to march in the parade.

   Well, fine then! He'll just have a parade of his own!! Jamie sets off in his green sweater, hat and coat with Nell the dog and march up the center of town to Acorn Hill by themselves. Along the way, the meet some of the other villagers, one of whom gives Jamie an Irish flag that he proudly waves in his own parade. Does he make it to the top?? You'll have to read to find out!!

   "St. Patrick's Day in the Morning" is a beautiful story for any child who has ever been told that they're too small, too weak, too short, too this, too that, to do something. You can see Jamie's' happiness at proving everyone wrong. The pen and ink illustrations are lush and detailed: you could count the shingles in the roofs or the bricks in the walls. Green and a little yellow are the only colors in the book, emphasizing the spirit and colors of St. Pats in Jamie's sweater, the flag of Ireland and, of course, the lush green grasses of the Emerald Isle.

   Because it's not a book about the history or legend of St. Patrick, there is no reason to limit it's reading only to March 17th. Teachers would find it a useful book in teaching both about Ireland and, of course, proving that smaller doesn't mean incapable. A fine book by Bunting and Brett, and highly recommended.




2. I loved this story. My mom would read it to my brother and I every March, and we would get so excited as the 17th approached. I, like Jamie, loved marching in our parade. Now I have a son of my own, and hope he enjoys it as much as I did.



3. We get our daughter a book about all the holidays that make up her cultural heritage and community. This is a beautiful book about St. Pat's day, but also about overcoming low expectations and self-empowerment -- but it's never preachy. My 3 yo daughter loves this book well after St. Pat's day, and we love to read it to her. Jann Brett has another winner! Although these illustrations lack the colorful details she's known for, the complexity of the mostly black/white drawings keep it engaging.

5 comments about Jack and the Leprechaun (Pictureback(R)).

1. There is no excuse for not buying this book if you are looking for a way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with your child. The paperback is very inexpensive and as such one might think it doesn't have much to offer but it does.
   
   Ivan Robertson managed to write a cute story of a leprechaun while packing a lot of Irish culture and history into this little book. For instance we learn about the date and type of celebration one has in Ireland, what a shillelagh (shaw lay lee) is, what "Cead mile failte" (cade meela fall-cha) expresses, that Gaelic is their oldest language, why shamrocks are important, that green is the national color of Ireland, soda bread is traditional, and "Danny Boy" is a song special to the Country.
   
   Katy Braun's illustrations are fun, festive, and green. This is the best St. Patrick's day book I have found so far for my wee lass.



2. Ivan Robertson writes a delightful yarn about Irish customs and folklore. The story mentions Gaelic, the oldest language in Ireland, the oak club called a shillelagh, and the importance of the three-leaf clover. The 24-page book is recommended for children 3 to 7 years, which I think is appropriate for the age group. The text is easy to read, and doesn't bite off more than it can chew like many works attempt to do.
   
   Jack and the Leprechaun is illustrated in watercolor, which is bright and cheerful and bursting with details. One could literally spend an hour looking at all the fine points painted into the scenes. The only inharmonious feature of the book is Katy Bratun's version of the Irish flag. The Irish flag is green, white, and orange not orange, white, and orange. Most readers won't notice such minutia, but it is curious with all the research required for this work, the illustrator got it wrong. I only spotted it because I have a bit of Irish in me.
   
   My son, William, is currently into leprechauns, and it's no wonder with his beautiful red hair, and traditional name. He's taking a liking to Jack and the Leprechaun I think mostly because Liam is short for William, and everybody knows leprechauns have red hair. Somehow at five, I think it's okay to identify with the fairies even though their fabled creatures. Had I known when I purchased this book that there were so many well-written leprechaun stories, I surely would have settled on another. Although, considering the economical price, it's hard to be critical.



3. My son's name is Liam so he LOVED reading about Liam the Leprechaun. It kept his interest and the illustrations were great. We read this book several times a night for days!



4. Bought this book to read to my 4 year old granson. He LOVED it! Nice illustrations and good story. Perect for the holiday.
   J.



5. This book looked very cute, but it's not a very fun read for me or for my 3 yo. The author tries to pack way too many Irish words and phrases into the story, which gets in the way of the narrative. After reading it once, she never asked for it again. St. Patrick's Day in the Morning, illustrated by Jann Brett, is a much more engaging read.