Whether you are Irish or not, St. Patrick’s Day can be a fun celebration to plan with your family. Shamrocks, leprechauns, pots of gold, and all things green can bring out the shenanigans in all of us on March 17th. As a mom of four and librarian, the month of March means pulling out all of our St. Patrick’s Day picture books. At home, we will reread our favorites, and at the library, the shelves will be lined with green and orange covers.
Sharing St. Patrick’s Day picture books with your children can open up discussions about Irish culture and the history of St. Patrick and Ireland. For younger children, St. Patrick’s Day reads may inspire crafting fun…I have built many Leprechaun traps with my kids over the years. However you choose to celebrate this Irish holiday, you could add a picture book or two! Here is my list of ‘The Best St. Patrick’s Day Picture Books to Read with your Kids’.
Book Recommendations Note: While these picture books are great for young children of all ages, I’ve included “recommended ages” to ensure each book you purchase or check out from your local library is a great option for the children in your life.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day From The Crayons – By Drew Daywalt And Oliver Jeffers
From the creators of the number one best-selling children’s book, ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’, the crayons are back in ‘Happy St. Patrick’s Day from the Crayons’. ‘Green’ crayon has gone on vacation just as St. Patrick’s Day preparation begins. With the color green being the most important color for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration, how will the other crayons manage without ‘Green’?
Why Kids Will Love ‘Happy St. Patrick’s Day from the Crayons’: Daywalt and Jeffers ‘Crayon’ books always hit the mark for fun and engaging children’s picture books. They are funny, the illustrations are adorable, and they inspire kids to get creative with color. In this favorite St. Patrick’s Day picture book, the crayons come together to save the day. ‘Yellow’ and ‘Blue’ unite to create green, ‘Black’ draws the rainbow, ‘Gold’ covers the pot of gold, and ‘White’ takes care of the Leprechaun’s underwear. Need I say more…underwear…what kids doesn’t love the mention of underwear.
Recommended Ages: 3-6 years
St. Patrick’s Day By Anne Rockwell
This next picture book by Anne Rockwell tells the story of a classroom as they learn about the history of St. Patrick’s Day. The children are assigned different presentations for their St. Patty’s Day celebrations. The kids learn about the origins of St. Patrick, traditional Irish dance, Irish emblems, and typical Irish foods. I chose this picture book as one of my top reads for St. Patrick’s Day because it is both educational and engaging for young readers.
Why Kids Will Love ‘St. Patrick’s Day’: Children love to learn, and the picture book ‘St. Patrick’s Day’ has lots of interesting facts to share. This book is fun, bright, and colorful, and it will teach kids all about the history of St. Patrick’s Day. I think young readers will love this book as a tool to learn more about why we celebrate on March 17th. The illustrations of children in their classroom will inspire families to incorporate traditional Irish elements into their own green celebrations.
Recommended Ages: 6-9 years
The Luckiest St. Patrick’s Day Ever By Teddy Slater
From the world of Leprechauns comes ‘The Luckiest St. Patrick’s Day Ever’! This bright and fun picture book takes children to a St. Patty’s Day celebration only Leprechauns could pull off. Complete with a parade, the Irish jig, an Irish feast, and lots of Leprechaun shenanigans. Kids will learn traditional Irish family names, foods, and traditions in this quintessential St. Patrick’s Day tale.
Why Kids Will Love ‘The Luckiest St. Patrick’s Day Ever‘: This picture book will delight children with its rhyming phrases; kids love the lyrical sound of rhyming words. Also, the illustrations by Ethan Long are colorful and sweet; chock-full of shamrocks, gold, cute animals, and quirky leprechauns. I personally adore this book because it teaches children the basics of these Irish traditions while presenting them in a light, fun way that children will understand and find intriguing. Kids will be introduced to concepts such as ‘fife’, ‘Irish jig’, ‘mulligan stew’, and ‘shillelagh’. This picture book is a must-read for preschoolers and school-aged kids this March.
Recommended Ages: 4-8 years
Three Ways To Trap A Leprechaun By Tara Lazar
One of my kids’ favorite things to do each St. Patrick’s Day is to build a leprechaun trap. If you haven’t heard of this before, it’s an easy craft/STEM activity to get your children thinking (and it’s lots of FUN). This picture book is about two siblings, Claire and Sam, devising a leprechaun trap to catch and prove that the small, green, mythological characters exist. But Finn, the leprechaun, is not easy to trick. Will the kids catch this clever leprechaun, or will they be outwitted?
Why Kids Will Love ‘Three Ways To Trap A Leprechaun‘: This more recent book had to make my favorite St. Patrick’s Day picture book list because I know it will inspire little hands to get creative. Siblings Claire and Sam build several types of traps in the story; kids will love reading about their different ideas. With each attempt to trap the leprechaun, the kids receive a letter back from Finn. Little readers will love following along with these misadventures. Kids will also love that the book includes instructions and a supply list for building their own trap after reading the story.
Recommended Ages: 4-8 years
Pete The Cat The Great Leprechaun Chase By James Dean
Children’s favorite storybook character, ‘Pete the Cat‘, is back for another adventure in ‘The Great Leprechaun Chase’. Our beloved Pete has a grand idea…a leprechaun-catching business! He will offer his leprechaun-catching skills to friends in need of a little St. Patrick’s Day luck! He sets up a booth with all the tools and bait. Pete quickly discovers, however, that catching this clever little guy is tricky. A lesson in luck becomes the key to success for Pete’s new business in this fun St. Patty’s Day picture book.
Why Kids Will Love Pete the Cat: The Great Leprechaun Chase: Pete the Cat picture books are so popular with children today. My kids read them growing up, and they are constantly in and out of circulation at the library. Pete’s adventures always tell a fun but relevant story for children, making them books children want to hear over and over again. Children will love Pete’s attempts to catch the leprechaun, and parents will love the positive message he learns about ‘luck’. This is another St. Patrick’s Day adventure that will most likely inspire families to build their own leprechaun trap.
Recommended Ages: 4-8 years
The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day By Natasha Wing
What do children do on the Night Before St. Patrick’s Day? Using the classic poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas”, Wing lyrically depicts the preparation for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, from dressing in green, to decorating with streamers and rainbows to prepping a green breakfast, to making a leprechaun trap! Parents and young readers follow the children in the book as they prepare for a March 17th celebration. Wing has an entire “on the night before“ series written to help guide and inspire children on the eve of special days. In my opinion, this would make a cute set for a new parent.
Why Kids Will Love ‘The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day‘: Children will enjoy this book’s unique and fun way of explaining what will happen on the eve of St. Patrick’s. Using the rhyming prose of a Christmas story we all know creates a comfort level with little readers from the first page. The illustrations paint a green-and-gold picture of what families will do the night before, the morning of, and on the actual day of St. Patty’s. Kids will once again love seeing the assortment of leprechaun traps the children make and the mess the sneaky leprechaun leaves behind! You can find more examples of Wing’s ‘night before’ series in my best picture books for families to read at Thanksgiving and in my favorite books before starting Kindergarten.
Recommended Ages: 4-8 years
Elmo’s Lucky Day By Andrea Posner-Sanchez
It’s St. Patrick’s Day, and the characters of Sesame Street are celebrating. In this board book for toddlers and preschoolers, Elmo is dressed all in green as he shares the traditions of St. Patty’s Day with friends. The gang decorates the street in green shamrocks for their parade. They go hunting for a leprechaun and enjoy a traditional Irish meal of corned beef and cabbage. This sweet picture book is a great first introduction to St. Patrick’s Day for the littlest readers.
Why Kids Will Love Elmo’s Lucky Day: Toddlers and preschoolers love Elmo, making this title an easy pick for the best St. Patrick’s Day picture book list. The chunky pages are bright and colorful, inviting for little hands. Kids will love seeing Cookie Monster trying to eat a Shamrock, Oscar being mistaken for a leprechaun, and Grover dancing the jig. It’s wonderful that even in this book for toddlers, the concept of an Irish meal is introduced, complete with corned beef, cabbage, and soda bread.
Recommended Ages: 2-5 years
Peppa Loves St. Patrick’s Day By Scholastic
Peppa Pig and her family are off to Ireland to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. They take the ferry boat over from England to attend the Irish festival. When they arrive on land, the family stops to pick up some souvenirs from Mrs. Bunny, including some green attire and a lucky clover. Next stop the festival! But when they arrive at the festival grounds, Peppa discovers that the celebration may be cancelled because the band has lost their instruments. Will Peppa and her family save the day with their car full of souvenirs!?
Why Kids Will Love Peppa Loves St. Patrick’s Day: Another easy selection for this favorite picture books for St. Patrick’s Day list. Why? Because kids simply love Peppa, George, and Mommy and Daddy pig! Peppa Pig is a cultural phenomenon; her toys, clothing, books, and television shows are among the most beloved by toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children alike. Kids will love following this familiar family on their trip to Ireland as they learn about Irish culture and attend a St. Patty’s Day festival….if Peppa can save the day!
Recommended Ages: 2-5 years
That’s What Leprechauns Do By Eve Bunting
Have you ever wondered what leprechauns do? This picture book tells the story of a group of leprechauns as they set out to put the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Follow them on their trek as they get up to silly leprechaun shenanigans. The tiny trio finds mischief in painting a cow’s hooves red, tying Jamie Bradley’s long-johns in knots, and hiding a tennis ball under Miss. Murphy’s hen. (cause that’s what leprechauns do!) Will they find the end of the rainbow, or will their mischief-making get the best of them?
Why Kids Will Love That’s What Leprechauns: This classic picture book by Eve Bunting is the perfect combination of traditional myth-telling and silly shenanigans. Children will love seeing what the leprechauns get up to as they set out on their mission to find the end of the rainbow and unearth the pot of gold. They will also enjoy learning about the origins of leprechauns and why rainbows and gold is so central to St. Patrick’s Day
Recommended Ages: 6-9 years
Kathleen O’Byrne Irish Dancer By Declan Carville And Brendan Ellis
Kathleen’s dream was to be a dancer, more specifically an Irish step dancer. The young girl danced in the bathroom, in the grocery store, and even at the bus stop. Kathleen dreamed of performing her Irish dancing on stage for an audience. But when she is not chosen from her dance troop to compete at the feis, Kathleen has to devise another way to reach her dream. This St. Patrick’s Day story, written by two authors born in Ireland, offers the history of Irish dance to young readers.
Why Kids Will Love ‘Kathleen O’Byrne Irish Dancer‘: This picture book for St. Patrick’s Day explores the more traditional topic of Irish dancing. Children will be inspired by Kathleen’s commitment to her art and her love of dance. The story is a reminder to children that, even when we are not successful, it doesn’t mean we should give up on our dreams. Whether it is dance, soccer, chess, tennis, or art that is your passion, there will always be times when we are not chosen for the team, the show, or the competition. A totally different direction from leprechauns and pots of gold, ‘Kathleen O’Byrne Irish Dancer’ rounds out our favorite reads for St. Patty’s
Recommended Ages: 6-10
The St. Patrick’s Day Rescue By Random House
‘Paw Patrol, Paw Patrol, We’ll be there on the double!’ Leave it to the creators of Paw Patrol to even have a St. Patrick’s Day rescue covered. Read along as Ryder and the pups try to stop Mayor Humdinger from causing trouble at the St. Patrick’s Day Lucky Rainbow Balloon Race. All the Paw Patrol crew are present in this favorite picture book for St. Patrick’s Day. Readers and pups alike will also have to keep their eyes peeled for a sneaky leprechaun in the balloon race crowd!
Why Kids Will Love ‘The St. Patrick’s Day Rescue’: Kids will love this book because of six household names…Rubble, Chase, Marshall, Skye, Rocky, and Zuma. I don’t know what child hasn’t gone through the Paw Patrol obsession stage. I see it every day at the library, our Paw Patrol books and DVDs are very popular. Just as they were when my children were preschoolers. Bright, colorful illustrations, familiar characters, and leprechaun mischief set the scene for a must-read St. Patrick’s Day book.
Recommended Ages: 3-6
Baby’s First St. Patrick’s Day By DK
Part of the Baby’s First Holiday collection, this sweet board book introduces new seasonal words and pictures to the smallest of readers. Babies and tots can get in on the St. Patrick’s Day vibe with this engaging, bright, and sturdy board book. Children will be introduced to new words like ‘rainbow’, ‘clover’, and ‘leprechaun’ as they turn the pages and learn about the traditions of St. Patrick’s Day.
Why Kids Will Love ‘Baby’s First St. Patrick’s Day‘: This board book collection is an excellent launch point for a new family’s library. With their sturdy pages, bright pictures, and simple text, board books are the perfect way to introduce your child to reading. Babies and toddlers will love discovering the colors and words associated with this new holiday. The sites of leprechauns, gold, rainbows, and green clovers will delight the senses of these wee readers. A holiday book and collection families can return to over and over again.
Recommended Ages: 0-3 years
As we find ourselves halfway through February, the pink and red of Valentine’s has passed. Now thoughts of green grass (and green clovers!) are on the mind. Spring will be here soon enough, and along with signs of Spring will be the arrival of St. Patrick’s Day festivities. We will decorate with rainbows and clovers, and dress in shades of green. We will indulge in green beverages and snacks, and maybe even dance a jig! Some of us will build leprechaun traps to try to catch that tricky little creature. On March 17th, Irish or not, we celebrate St. Patrick and the country of Ireland. Hopefully, some of these favorite picture books for St. Patrick’s Day become part of your family’s celebration. And ‘Top of the morning to ya’ this St. Patrick’s Day!
