Product Description

In addition to the story of St. Patrick's life, here is information about how St. Patrick's Day is celebrated. There are decorations from shmrocks to shillelaghs. People give cards, share meals, and wear green to honor Ireland, the Emerald Isle. And there are parades! Included are six legends about Patrick. Full color.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #595869 in Books
• Published on: 1995-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 30 pages

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-A basic introduction to the holiday-how it began, the life and works of St. Patrick, and the various ways in which the day is celebrated. The text is clear and concise, and the pages are full of information. Gibbons's simple, clean, full-page watercolor-and-ink illustrations flow logically from one to the next. Particularly welcome are descriptions of some St. Patrick's Day symbols, such as shamrocks, leprechauns, and Celtic harps. A couple of picture books are available on the subject, such as Alice Schertle's Jeremy Bean's St. Patrick's Day (Lothrop, 1987), but this is an outstanding choice to fill the bill for nonfiction.
Kay McPherson, Central Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, GA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 2-4. In a book similar to those she's done for topics ranging from boats to birthdays, Gibbons offers information about St. Patrick's Day in an easily digestible text and a clean, colorful format. She covers the salient details of Patrick's life--his boyhood in slavery, his return to Britain, where he was ordained, and his life dedicated to the conversion of the Irish--and she highlights the symbols and happenings of St. Patrick's Day. At the conclusion, she describes some of St. Patrick's miracles, one to an illustrated box. The artwork, as one would expect, is heavily accented with green and is typical of Gibbon's work--simply drawn, yet full of zest and quite appealing for its audience. A festive addition to holiday shelves. Ilene Cooper

About the Author
Gail Gibbons has published close to fifty distinguished nonfiction titles with Holiday House. According to "'The Washington Post"', "'Gail Gibbons has taught more preschoolers and early readers about the world than any other children's writer-illustrator."' She lives in Vermont. Her website is www.gailgibbons.com

Customer Reviews

Thorough book about St. Patrick's Day
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.

A fabulous book about St. Patrick's Day
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!

great book for learning about st patrick's day & american traditions during st patrick's day
I first bought this book over 6 years ago when my older son was 5. We loved reading it together & we shared it with some friends from overseas so that they would know how American's celebrate St Patrick's Day. I'm actually buying the book again for my two younger children this year to give as a gift. They may be a little young for it now but I believe they will grow to love it like their older brother & I love the idea of reading it as part of our family holiday traditions. Really a great Gail Gibbons book. (My two year old really enjoys Gail Gibbons Thanksgiving book.)