The Leprechaun's Gold [Paperback]

Pamela Duncan Edwards (Author), Henry Cole (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: January 24, 2006 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years

In this classic Irish legend, two harpists -- merry-hearted Old Pat and ill-spirited Young Tom -- set off for a contest to name the finest harpist in all of Ireland. When Young Tom realizes that Old Pat is truly the better musician, he schemes to be the winner -- but he doesn′t reckon with the clever trickery of a mischievous little leprechaun.

Noted picture book creators Pamela Duncan Edwards and Henry Cole have imagined a joyful and fanciful tale with a priceless lesson.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 4--Librarians looking for a fresh leprechaun tale for group sharing need search no longer. The narrative flows off the tongue, and Cole's feisty caricatures are easily seen from a distance. Individual readers will enjoy looking for the shamrocks hidden throughout the scenes and in the borders. Green is applied liberally; the color even emanates from a campfire, adding to the Irish flavor. The story centers around the King's contest to choose the best harpist in the land. Young Tom is sure he can beat out Old Pat. The lad goes as far as to break the poor old fellow's harp string on their journey to the event. It seems that all is lost until Pat stops to answer a leprechaun's cry for help. Edwards deftly creates enough tension to prevent the solution from being immediately predicted. In a classic case of humility and kindness defeating vanity and selfishness, all's well that ends well. Even as Tom receives his comeuppance, he finds "generosity growing in his heart." Guaranteed to warm the cockles.--Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Kindhearted Old Pat and coldhearted Young Tom set off from their tiny village for a royal contest to determine the finest harpist in all of Ireland. As the two men sit by a campfire on the eve of the contest, Young Tom secretly breaks a string on Old Pat's harp in an attempt to ensure his own victory. Then, out of the darkness they hear a cry for help. Kindly Old Pat comes to the aid of what turns out to be a leprechaun while selfish Young Tom quickly flees the scene. At the contest the next day, both are appropriately repaid for their actions by the leprechaun and his buddies. Cole's imaginative illustrations are a good match for the story, displaying both realism and fantasy, and effectively conveying Old Pat's warmth and Young Tom's coldness through facial expression and body language. An appealing tale that need not be limited to St. Patrick's Day storytime. Lauren Peterson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (January 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064438783
• ISBN-13: 978-0064438780
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #199,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth a Fortune! March 17, 2007

By History_of_Art_Geek

Format:Paperback

There's so much to like about this book I'm not sure where to begin. First off the author/illustrator team of Pamela Duncan Edwards and Henry Cole is well known for their many popular collaborations including, Some Smug Slug, and Clara Caterpillar. The Leprechaun's Gold easily upholds their fine reputation. Edwards's writing is so fluid it flows off the tongue.

The text doesn't rhyme, but there is a lilt as the words spill from page to page. This is not a short book. It takes about 7 or 8 minutes to read aloud, but the story is appealing and actually humorous in areas. The Leprechaun's Gold is recommended for children 4 to 7 years, which I deem appropriate not only in content, but in vocabulary as well.

The illustrations are eye-catching. Cole uses watercolor as a base and adds either color pencils, or pastels on top of the paint for added detail and contrast. The result is very rich, deep hues that pop off the pages.

As an added bonus Cole includes a hide and seek quality that we love in picture books. At the end of the story, the author challenges the reader to find all 16-four-leaf clovers hidden throughout the pages. My son was so intrigued he spent close to an hour looking for all those silly clovers. The Leprechaun's Gold is a remarkable book that has the potential to teach several lessons about greed, and egoism to kindness and forgiveness.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful for St .Patrick's Day July 4, 2010

By Tracy K. Stierle

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I teach 1st grade and every year my students love this book. It is the perfect representation of the spirit of Leprechauns.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent story with a moral February 19, 2007

By SZC

Format:Paperback

I am an elementary education major and am planning to use this book in one of my direct teaching lessons. The story will entrance the third graders and learn a lesson in the meantime. Great story for St. Patrick's Day.