10 St. Patrick’s Day Books for Kids

“Mommy, what is St. Patrick’s Day?”

That’s the question I was greeted with yesterday when I picked Greenleigh up from school.  As I struggled to explain the wearing of green, parades, leprechauns, and the legend of St. Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland – which although untrue is a fun story when you’re 5 – I realized I had done my kids a great disservice.  Of my 4 grandparents, 3 were/are Irish and my paternal grandfather actually immigrated to the United States from Ireland when he was a boy…and yet my kids knew nothing about Ireland, St. Patrick, or St. Patrick’s Day.

Determined to change that, I decided to go up the bookcase in Greenleigh’s room when we got home and take out my favorite St. Patrick’s Day books to read over the next week.  I even purchased a few more on Amazon last night, which made me thing that maybe I should share some of my favorites with you.  So if your child is curious about St. Patrick’s Day or you just want to add a little leprechaun fun to your storytime as we approach St. Patrick’s Day, here are a few of my old and new favorites all about the green holiday.  Best of all, there’s something for every reading level!

“St. Patrick’s Day” will bring your child a fully authentic experience, detailing the life of St. Patrick himself, how he celebrated, and why we still celebrate St. Patrick’s Day today.  This one might be harder for very little ones to follow, but is perfect for elementary and older kids.

For littler readers, start with Hooray for St. Patrick’s Day!, an interactive lift-the-flap book for kids ages 2-5 years.  On each page, your child will be able to watch kids celebrating St. Patrick’s Day by making crafts, eating traditional Irish foods, and even marching in parades.  There’s even a hidden leprechaun on each page!

Speaking of leprechauns…if you’re kids are curious about what mischief these little guys get into, you’re going to want to check out That’s What Leprechauns Do.  It details just how much trouble these little guys can create when trying to hide their pot of gold.

If your kids still can’t get enough leprechauns, they will absolutely love “Ten Lucky Leprechauns“.  This brightly colored book incorporates silliness and counting, and is sure to capture the attention of even the smallest reader.  And if you’re little one likes this book you should definitely check out the author’s other book, “Ten Grouchy Groundhogs“.

The Luckiest St. Patrick’s Day Ever follows a leprechaun family as they prepare and participate in the festivities of St. Patrick’s Day.  With it’s rhythmic story and green hued pages, this book is sure to become a favorite!  It’s definitely one of ours!
For a more religious approach to the holiday, The Story of Saint Patrick delves into the life and work of Saint Patrick himself.  Did you know that Saint Patrick wasn’t really Irish at all?  Did you know he was actually captured and forced to work as a slave?  This book sets the record straight, in a way that’s easy to understand for beginner readers.

A personal favorite in our collection is Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Curious George.  Besides being a Curious George book – my girls are huge fans of all the Curious George books – this book is a tabbed board book, so it’s safe for even the littlest hands.

And after you’ve monkeyed around with Curious George, be sure to check out “Green Shamrocks” which follows Rabbit as he grows shamrocks in anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day.  Of course, the real problems start when the shamrocks go missing…

If you happen to have Kindle Unlimited you can read The Little Leprechaun Who Loved Yellow for free!  If not, no worries, this adorable book with a great message about following your heart is available in paperback as well.  This one is actually new for us and on our reading list this week!

Which brings me to our absolutely favorite of all the St. Patrick’s Day books in our collection – “The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day“.  This imaginative twist on a Christmas classic, follows two little kids as they prepare for St. Patrick’s Day and attempt to capture a leprechaun.  When they go to check their traps on St. Patrick’s Day they find that they’ve caught one…keeping him proves to be a bit more difficult.

So what about you?  What’s your little one’s favorite St. Patricks’s Day book?