Last Updated on March 5, 2025 by Laura
March brings springtime fun to your elementary library, and I like to make sure I have plenty of leprechaun picture books on hand! Whether you’re planning a fun leprechaun storytime or you just want to have plenty of St. Patrick’s Day books on hand for your students, I’ve got some titles that are not to be missed!
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HOW TO TRAP A LEPRECHAUN BY SUE FLIESS, ILLUSTRATED BY EMMA RANDALL
A list of leprechaun picture books wouldn’t be complete without a couple that involve catching the clever Irish elves! In this first title, the beautiful, colorful illustrations accentuate a fun rhyming text with tips on how to trap the leprechaun. A group of children gets creative planning their traps, so it will encourage your students to try catching a leprechaun too! The author’s note contains background information on leprechaun folklore as well as tips for a creative leprechaun trap activity.
HOW TO CATCH A LEPRECHAUN BY ADAM WALLACE, ILLUSTRATED BY ANDY ELKERTON
This is one of the many books in the “How to Catch” series. My students are drawn to these fun stories and the idea that they just might be able to catch a magical creature! Told from the point of view of the leprechaun, this story gives us a peek into many failed attempts at catching the illusive Irish character. Could the reader actually be the brilliant child who finally figures out how to catch the leprechaun after all?
THE GINGERBREAD MAN AND THE LEPRECHAUN LOOSE AT SCHOOL BY LAURA MURRAY, ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE LOWERY
Fans of Laura Murray’s Gingerbread Man books will not be disappointed with this fun episode! Two well-known clever characters are at odds as the Gingerbread Man tries to catch the Leprechaun to stop him from making messes in the school. Murray’s word choice is superb, the rhyme and cadence so fun – this is a true delight to read aloud! Lowery’s clever illustrations in graphic novel format keep the readers’ and listeners’ eyes moving along the story in anticipation. An excellent read aloud choice, especially if you’ve got a leprechaun making mischief in your school!
THE NIGHT BEFORE ST. PATRICK’S DAY BY NATASHA WING ILLUSTRATED BY AMY WUMMER
This leprechaun picture book follows the familiar rhythm and rhyme of The Night Before Christmas, and shows a family getting ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The kids are plotting to trap a leprechaun, and they do, but he outsmarts them in the end. The fun illustrations add another layer of detail to the text and draw the reader in to examine the leprechaun traps.
PETE THE CAT: THE GREAT LEPRECHAUN CHASE BY JAMES DEAN
Always the entrepreneur, Pete opens a leprechaun trapping business! He thinks it will be easy, but soon finds out that Clover the leprechaun is pretty tricky! When he finally catches him, he ends up learning a lesson about how to be a good friend. Encourage group participation during your read aloud with the clever limericks! The book includes a poster and 12 cute little St. Patrick’s Day cards.
THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A CLOVER BY LUCILLE COLANDRO, ILLUSTRATED BY JARED LEE
This fun series is very popular in my school library! In this one, the old lady gulps down several St. Patrick’s Day items, each increasingly more unbelievable than the last! The culmination arrives as she’s dancing with a leprechaun! This is a great story for a sing-along storytime. Even if you don’t sing it, the repetitive rhythm and rhyme make for a fun class participation read aloud. Jared Lee’s illustrations gives us a lot to notice as we view the story from several angles. You and your students will giggle together – don’t miss this one!
Leprechaun Picture Books Are FUN!
You and your students will have lots of fun with leprechaun picture books in your March library classes! And if you’re reading to try Leprechaun Storytime with your K-2 classes, grab this fun resources! You’ll get song suggestions and prop cards, book review/leprechaun trap activity pages, and everything you need for a fun leprechaun scavenger hunt! Take a look at the preview here:
Grab your free leprechaun picture book list here:
Save these Leprechaun Books for Later!
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Here’s to a fun month in our elementary libraries!
Be the light! ~
