20 St. Patrick's Day Books Your Little Leprechaun Will Love

Part of the bestselling How To Catch series, your kids will love this adorable St. Patrick’s Day edition. How To Catch A Leprechaun is written in rhyme, explaining all about the hijinks leprechauns will bring upon them and how they’ll never be able to really catch one. Sure, they can try to plan the perfect trap filled with shiny gold coins and four-leaf clovers, but nabbing the main character of this story isn’t for the faint of heart. Despite the book’s insistence that it isn’t quite possible, this read might just inspire some enterprising catchers to prepare the ultimate trap and try their luck at home come March 17.

For Pete the Cat fans, this is another great holiday-themed read starring the fun and friendly feline hero. After learning about leprechauns in class, Pete decides to start his own leprechaun-catching business. If you’re familiar with other Pete the Cat stories, you can just imagine where it goes from there. The whole story is filled with adventure and plenty of St. Patty’s day references to boot! Best suited for preschoolers and early elementary-aged kiddos, Pete the Cat: The Great Leprechaun Chase comes complete with a pull-out poster, fun St. Patrick’s Day stickers, and 12 St. Patrick’s Day cards to give out to friends to celebrate the holiday.

If your kids aren’t already familiar with the There Was An Old Lady series, allow this St. Patrick’s Day-themed book to introduce them. That old lady, she sure does have some weird taste in food. And that’s why kids love this book in all of its many iterations. This time, she’s chomping down on some clover. (Go figure.) Like in other holiday versions of the story, the old lady just keeps going and going, swallowing more and more obscure items. Eventually, the book ends with an appearance by a St. Patrick’s Day icon. Who or what is it? You’ll have to read the story and see!

Co-written by a kindergarten teacher and a school psychologist, you can bet that this book checks all of the educational boxes. Ten Lucky Leprechauns is basically a counting book in disguise. What starts as a tale about one little leprechaun looking for treasure all by his lonesome, quickly becomes a magical adventure story about an entire gaggle of friends searching for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, as one by one they join in on the fun. What better way is there to encourage your little one to learn how to count than to disguise an educational read as a fun holiday story?

Is your kid curious about how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Let this cute book inspire them as you read all about how a leprechaun family throws a wild St. Paddy’s party complete with everything they need to celebrate the holiday in the best way they know how. From a fun-filled parade to a festive Irish feast, there’s plenty of fun to be had on March 17. In fact, it’s a leprechaun’s favorite day of the year, so they all gather as a family to celebrate with dancing and music galore. Told in rhyme, The Luckiest St. Patrick’s Day Ever is best suited for kids from preschool to third grade.

In this classic poem-based children’s book, author Natasha Wing takes creative license with Clement Clarke Moore’s classic Christmas tale, The Night Before Christmas, and puts a St. Patrick’s Day spin on the story. Unlike the Christmas version, most of this story actually takes place on St. Patrick’s Day, when two clever kids awake to find that their homemade leprechaun trap actually worked. Antics ensue however, as they spend the day attempting to figure out just how to actually find his pot of gold. It’s a really enjoyable holiday read for kids, filled to the brim with curiosity, fun, and adventure.

Children learn the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” rhyme at a young age, which makes this sing-able book told in the tune of the nursery rhyme all the more fun. Think: “The itsy bitsy leprechaun was hiding pots of gold. Down came a rainbow, colorful and bold… ” Isn’t that just so sweet? The Itsy Bitsy Leprechaun is a fun holiday book choice for your family’s youngest readers. Intended for kids ages 2 to 4 years, this is one sweet St. Patrick’s Day read that you and your little ones will enjoy reading (and singing) over and over again.

Leave it to literature’s favorite monkey to get up to all kinds of shenanigans on St. Patrick’s Day. If your kid just can’t get enough of Curious George or his loving caretaker, The Man With The Yellow Hat, Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Curious George is one St. Patty’s Day book that needs to be on their bookshelf. On his way to a St. Patrick’s Day parade, there’s no end to the amount of Irish-themed fun Curious George can find. Curious George learns to jig, looks for leprechauns, and so much more in this fun, holiday story.

If you don’t have enough leprechaun trap ideas, this colorful book will help further your young architect’s dreams of snatching one of those mythical creatures. The first story in the Magical Creatures and Crafts book series by Sue Fliess, How To Trap A Leprechaun is a read aloud children’s book that not only gives your kids plenty of inspiration to build a trap of their own, but introduces bits of Irish folklore along the way. Filled with lively illustrations of kids enjoying the fun of putting together their own traps for St. Patrick’s Day, this read will surely make your kiddo want to grab some glitter and glue to get started ASAP.

St. Patrick’s Day is a day meant for wearing green and nothing but green, right? Well, not according to the leprechaun who stars in The Little Leprechaun Who Loved Yellow! by Sally Huss. Teach your child all about colors while also giving them a crash course in self expression with this book about a leprechaun who wants to wear colors other than green.

If you’re looking for a St. Patrick’s Day book for kids that’s not only a great story, but exciting to look at, one Amazon reviewer exclaimed that, “The art work is smashing, full of color and joy.” Best suited for kids ages 2 to 6, this is a fun read to add to your child’s collection.

If you’ve read any of the adorable books in Laura Murray’s The Gingerbread Man Is Loose series, you know they’re hilarious. This St. Patrick’s Day edition of the series finds our hero, the Gingerbread Man, in a race to save a gingerbread house from destruction by a pesky leprechaun. Set inside of a school, chaos ensues as the Gingerbread Man attempts to trap the leprechaun inside of his classroom. Will the Gingerbread man be able to outsmart the mischievous leprechaun and save the day? Read this adorable St. Patrick’s Day book to find out!

Do your kids love counting down throughout the Christmas season with the 12 days of Christmas? If so, they’ll probably love this fun twist on the holiday countdown, The 12 Days of St. Patrick’s Day. Weitten by Jenna Lettice, the story walks readers through 12 days leading up to the Irish celebration with fun rhymes about shamrocks, pots of gold, top hats, and more. This is one read that makes the time leading up to St. Patrick’s Day feel extra magical. Colorful illustrations by Colleen Madden bring the joy of the holiday to life for kids and there’s even a full page of stickers to enjoy when the story is through.

If your child is still a bit confused on what exactly leprechauns do all day (other than avoiding traps set up by your sneaky kiddos, naturally), let author Eve Bunting show them. Is a leprechaun’s sole purpose to hide their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Well, yes and no. Of course, they do attend to their pot of gold, but as the book explains, there’s much more to a leprechaun’s day — and most of it is downright hilarious. In this whimsical tale, three tricky leprechauns go about their business playing pranks on unassuming neighbors for a tale that’s full of good humor.

This St. Patrick’s Day book for kids is an oldie, but a goodie. (Parents of a certain age may actually remember this one from your own childhood library shelves!) In Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato, beloved children’s book author Tomie dePaola tells a tale of a lazy potato farmer who, with the help of a leprechaun, grows the biggest potato ever. But is it too large for the villagers to handle? You’ll have to read it to find out. If you’re in the mood to share some Irish folklore with your children on March 17, this is definitely a book that will help you do just that.

My kids can spend literal hours searching through I Spy books. The holiday editions specifically offer a fun way to enjoy seasonal celebrations like St. Patrick’s Day. Though this is definitely more of a game in book form than a story book, there’s plenty of fun to be had within the pages of I Spy St. Patrick’s Day. The simple words and phrases are just perfect for little learners from kindergarten through second grade. Your kids can explore all that the St. Patrick’s Day holiday has to offer while searching for clovers, Irish flags, pots of gold, and more in this adorable book.

Every year the towns of Tralee and Tralah compete for the best decorations for St. Patrick’s Day and every year Tralah wins. But this year, little Fiona Riley has a plan. Can she do it or will a leprechaun spoil her work? A Fine St. Patrick’s Day by Susan Wojciechowski is a magical tale that’s just perfect for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. The beautiful acrylic paint illustrations from Tom Curry bring this exciting tale to life. One Amazon reviewer raved about the book, writing, “This is hands down the best St. Patrick's day book out there! It has beautiful illustrations and a great message for kids.”

Do your kids (or you, really) prefer your picture books to star a pup? This St. Patty’s Day tale tells the story of of Tiny, a giant dog, who will delight readers of all ages. Tiny is going to a big St. Patrick’s Day party in the park to celebrate the holiday with a parade, scavenger hunt, and a costume contest. He’s dressed in a green top hat and ready for the occasion. But when Tiny’s friend Elliot loses her shoe, it’s up to the brave pup to find her shoe (and a pot of gold, of course) to save the day.

The ants go marching on and on in a St. Patrick’s Day parade in this sweet early reader book. If you’re looking for a St. Patrick’s Day book that kids can enjoy reading by themselves, this is a great choice for emerging readers. Part of the Ant Hill Kids collection, the troupe performs at a parade complete with green balloons, bagpipes, shamrocks, and more. When they’re interrupted by a silly leprechaun, a chase to the end of the rainbow begins to catch the leprechaun and save the parade. Where will the chase end and what will they find then they get there? Read through this adorable story with your kiddos to find out!

Imagine that you’re a little terrier pup and you take a leisurely roll through a patch of four-leaf clovers. Then, suddenly everything goes your way. You catch falling ice cream scoops, you get a whole new box of toys unexpectedly, and just generally lucky all of the sudden. Sounds pretty magical, right? That’s the story behind this sweet picture book by author and illustrator Leslie McGuirk. Not only will your kids get a kick out of the luck that rubs off on the pup in Lucky Tucker after he has a roll in a leprechaun’s clover patch, but it might just inspire then to hunt for their own lucky patch of four-leaf clovers this St. Patrick’s Day.

When March 17 falls on a school day, it’s so much fun to see a sea of green in the classroom and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with friends. Author and illustrator duo Anne and Lizzy Rockwell, brings the holiday to life in this picture book about a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at school. Though not every student in class is of Irish heritage, they can all learn about the celebration and take part in the fun of this cultural tradition. Intended for kids ages 4 to 8, one Amazon reviewer calls the read a “great book to teach about St. Patrick's Day to young learners,” noting that it “speaks about the traditional, commercial and historical aspects of the holiday.”