Our 17 Favorite St. Patrick's Day Kids Books Filled With Luck and Leprechauns!

Updated: Feb 24

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with one of these luck-filled books!

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Do you love books featuring holidays? Well, I don't know about you, but when a holiday is coming around the corner, we love to find a book (or two or three!) that goes along with the special day!

Holidays are the perfect way to include more reading in your child's day! Even the most reluctant readers perk up when there's a fun book to go along with a holiday celebration!

We usually like to include a mix of books from picture books to folk tales and nonfiction to make sure we have a good variety!

Looking for a fun game to go along with the our St. Patrick's Day books and round out the holiday? Check out our Free Printable St. Patrick's Day Scavenger Hunt! We also have a Free St. Patrick's Day Bingo mini game set (find the full St. Patrick's Day Bingo set here!)

17 Favorite Kids Books for St. Patrick's Day!

by James Dean and Kimberly Dean

Pete the Cat is at it again! He's out to catch some Leprechauns and is launching his new Leprechaun Catching business on St. Patrick's Day!

Will luck be on his side and Pete the Cat succeed? Boys and girls will thoroughly enjoy Pete's St. Patrick's Day adventure and The Great Leprechaun Chase comes with cards, stickers and a poster for some holiday decorating fun!

How to Catch a Leprechaun is a New York Times Bestselling book that reviewers agree is the perfect story to read the night before St. Patrick's Day!

With rhyming text and colorful illustrations, How to Catch a Leprechaun will inspire young readers to be creative and devise their own Leprechaun catcher!

Part of the 'How to Catch... series, How to Catch a Leprechaun is sure to be a fun addition to your St. Patrick's Day collection on the bookshelf!

If you're now inspired to build a Leprechaun Trap, we have found the ideal guide!

Filled with ideas on building the perfect Leprechaun trap, How to Build a Leprechaun Trap has 16 traps and 13 bonus activities!

Boys and girls will love these hands-on activities that are a fun (and screen-free!) way to enjoy Saint Patrick's Day!

by Teresa Bateman and Kelly Murphy

We just adore fairy tales and Fiona's Luck is the perfect addition to our 17 Best Books for St. Patrick's Day!

(If you have an older reader (tween/teen+) that loves fairy tales, be sure to pop over and check out our 10+ Fairy Tales Books and Series with a Twist post!

In this original folktale, the luck of the Irish is dwindling and it's up to Fiona to get it back!

The Leprechaun King has locked away the good luck and fortune and the good people of Ireland need help! Fiona is clever and determined to match wits with the Leprechaun King!

A unique story, enchanting illustrations, magic and a look into Irish culture make Fiona's Luck a terrific St. Patrick's Day book for reading aloud, as a bedtime story or acting out!

by Eve Bunting illustrations by Jan Brett

If you've ever been told you can't do something, then set out to do it, St. Patrick's Day in the Morning will certainly resonate with you!

Taking place in Ireland, Jamie has been told he is too young to march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. There is a hill that makes the parade route difficult and his family doesn't think he is old enough to make the trek. Like many kids, when they're told they can't do something, they set out to prove everyone wrong!

Jamie wakes up the morning of the parade with a goal and plenty of determination! St. Patrick's Day in the Morning reminded me of The Little Engine That Could and is a fabulous story that kids will identify with and want to add to the bookshelf!

If you were ever looking for the perfect pairing of a storyteller and an illustrator, I think this would be it!

Eve Bunting has written more than 250 books and certainly knows how to tell a story! (One of our faves is Our Library!)

Paired with Jan Brett, whose stories and illustrations celebrate cultures from all over the world, St. Patrick's Day in the Morning is a book we absolutely had to add to our list!

We've featured many of Jan Brett's books on our blog, The Easter Egg and The Mermaid are two that come to mind and we just adore her books! Below is another favorite!

by Riddleland

If your reader prefers interactive books, jokes, having fun and laughing a bunch, then Would You Rather, St. Patrick's Day Edition will be the perfect choice for a holiday read!

With super funny interactive 'this or that' questions, readers will have plenty of laughs choosing preferences!

Great for car rides, family night, classroom or anytime you're in the mood for a good laugh! Boys and girls will enjoy this illustrated fun-filled St. Patrick's Day book and adults will get a chuckle over the silly questions!

An Irish Folktale by Tomie dePaola

Tomie DePaola is an absolute genius storyteller! If you've ever had the pleasure of reading the Strega Nona books and enjoyed them, than you're sure to love Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato!

Jamie O'Rourke is the laziest man in all of Ireland and his wife, Eileen does all of the work! When she hurts her back Jamie heads off to prepare for the worst and winds up trading a potato seed for a leprechaun's freedom!

The potato grows and grows and it's large size gives plenty of opportunity for humor and silliness, good moments and bad leading to a fun and witty conclusion!

by Gail Gibbons

From parades to shamrocks to wearing green and special meals, St. Patrick's Day by Gail Gibbons is a must-have nonfiction book to add to your holiday collection!

Colorfully illustrated and written with younger readers in mind, this picture book is filled information about the culture and traditions surrounding the St. Patrick's Day holiday!

Check out more of Gail Gibbons' nonfiction books here!

by Lucille Colander and Jared Lee

The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly is back again! She's busy swallowing a bunch of stuff in this fun twist on the original!

Kids love the silliness and repetitive storytelling in There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover featuring a rainbow as the end result!

by Tomie dePaola

Here's another fabulous St. Patrick's Day book from Tomie DePaola honoring Patrick, The Patron Saint of Ireland!

An historic account along with legendary stories give the reader a well-rounded look into Ireland's famous figure. Both real details and five short stories make this book a great fact and fiction read for the St. Patrick's Day holiday section on your bookshelf!

by Mike Berenstain

We all love a good Berenstain Bears book, and this lucky read finds the Bear Family learning all about the fun traditions that St. Patrick's Day has to offer!

From dressing up in green to four-leaf-clovers, join in the fun as the Berenstain Bear family explores the holiday!

Whether it's dreaming of leprechauns or seeing the parade, kids will love celebrating St. Patty's Day with their favorite bears' adventures in The Berenstain Bears' St. Patrick's Day!

by H. A. Rey

This funny monkey is back for more mischief and misadventures as he takes on St. Patty's Day in true George style!

All dressed up in his St. Patrick's Day finest, George is ready to take in all that this lucky day holds before heading to the parade!

From encounters with leprechauns to holiday adventures, will Curious George get to his St. Patrick's day destination with luck on his side?

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Curious George, will have kids laughing along with the silly antics of this beloved monkey!

by Mary Pope Osborne

The beloved Magic Tree House time-traveling series has a book for everything! This historical fiction, Leprechaun in Late Winter blends fantasy with facts for a read perfect for St. Patrick's Day!

When brother and sister duo, Jack and Annie are sent back in time to the Irish countryside, they're in for more than they bargained for as they encounter leprechauns, locals and more! Will luck be on their side as they bargain with fairies, and attempt to complete their mission? Find out in this chapter book with the perfect blend of history and magic!

If you're looking for a very fun and engaging way to get your reader interested in history and geography, the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne is a fantastic way to do it!

The Magic Tree House Fact Trackers that accompany many of the fiction titles in the Magic Tree House Series are interesting and perfectly leveled to be accessible to younger readers.

Leprechauns and Irish Folk Lore is a terrific non-fiction title to add to your St. Patrick's Day spot on the bookshelf!

Back when I was a reading teacher in an elementary school, The Magic Tree House books were always a popular choice!

Both the students and teachers loved them and were the perfect way to draw kids into learning about history and different cultures! I also found them to be invaluable with our homeschool curriculum!

by Mallory C. Loehr Illustrated by Brian Biggs

You just can't go wrong with a Little Golden Book! I remember growing up with them and Cenzia was always adding to her collection with a new favorite!

I'm a Leprechaun is perfect for boys and girls who are interested in learning all about leprechauns for St. Patrick's Day!

With colorful illustrations and magical details young readers will have so much fun reading about leprechauns and adding this Little Golden Book to their bookshelf!

Mad Libs have been around forever and with good reason! These hilarious fill-in-the-blank DIY stories are hilarious and kids love them!

Luck of the Mad Libs is not only fun but also a great way to practice language arts with your friends or family while celebrating St. Patrick's Day!

by Natasha Wing illustrations Amy Wummer

The Night Before St. Patrick's Day is a fan favorite and part of the The Night Before... series. Well written and filled with fun illustrations, both boys and girls will enjoy the rhyming text and being introduced to the leprechaun theme of the St. Patrick's Day holiday!

If you love decorating and doing fun things to go along with holidays including St. Patrick's Day, this title pairs perfectly with a Leprechaun themed craft...like making a Leprechaun Trap (see books above)!

The Night Before St. Patrick's Day is a fun play on the tradition poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore and families agree it is a fun St. Patrick's Day addition to the bookshelf!

Here are some more fun St. Patrick's Day books that are fun, informative and both kids and adults will enjoy!

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“Wherever you go, whatever you do,

may the luck of the Irish be there with you!”

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

April

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updated 2/19/2024 originally published 02/14/2024