Mary McLean and the St. Patrick's Day Parade [Library Binding]

Steven Kroll (Author), Michael Dooling (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

/Kroll/Steven It's 1855. This spring will be Mary's first St. Patrick's Day in America. More than anything she wants to ride in the horse-drawn cart with Mr. Finnegan in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Mr. Finnegan agrees, but on the condition that she brings him a perfect shamrock. A touching story of a young immigrant girl whose wish really does come true . . . with a leprechaun's help. Full color throughout.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- A St. Patrick's Day picture book that blends realism and folklore. Kroll accurately portrays the difficult life of the Irish immigrants who lived in lower Manhattan in the 1850s and spices this reality with a little Irish magic in the form of a visiting leprechaun. The well-paced and satisfying story focuses on Mary McLean, a girl of nine or so, who dreams of riding in New York City's St. Patrick's Day parade. She is promised this honor if she can find a perfect shamrock somewhere in the snow-covered city. Spurred by her need to lift herself out of the drabness of her daily life, she searches tirelessly, never letting go of her dream. Her quest appears hopeless until she meets a feisty leprechaun with a shamrock; but he tricks her, dashing her hopes. Mary's father comes home on the eve of the big parade and places the shamrock in his jubilant daughter's hands. While Kroll takes delight in presenting details of the period, Dooling appears to be more concerned with the universal aspects of the story. His richly colored oil paintings--"urban realistic" in style--use light and shade, angle and perspective to bring out the emotional tone of the tale. The pictures have a warm, personal quality and shy away from an elaboration of historical details of costume and setting. In spite of divergent approaches, text and illustration together provide a well-rounded experience containing both fact and feeling. Young readers and listeners will admire Mary's vision and determination and will find, as a bonus, that they have been pleasantly introduced to an important era in our history. --Carey Ayres, Port Washington Public Library, NY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Steven Kroll is the author of more than fifty picture books, including The Biggest Pumpkin Ever. His work has been translated into French, Spanish, and Japanese. He lives with his wife in New York City and Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Trade (February 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590437011
• ISBN-13: 978-0590437011
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven Kroll is the author of many beloved picture books for children, including "Pooch on the Loose: A Christmas Adventure", illustrated by Michael Garland; "The Biggest Pumpkin Ever", illustrated by Jeni Bassett; and "A Tale of Two Dogs", illustrated by Mike Reed. He lives with his wife in New York City and Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Children love the fantasy and excitement of a leprechaun., January 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mary McLean and the St. Patrick's Day Parade (Library Binding)

This is a story of a little girl who searches for a four leaf clover so she can be in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. The fantasy and excitement of a leprechaun appeals to my students. It lends very nicely to creative writing in the classroom. This is a must, especially for primary teachers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very engaging and entertaining, May 3, 2003

By 

L. Hale (Illinois USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mary McLean and the St. Patrick's Day Parade (Paperback)

It is 1849 and Mary Mclean and her family are fresh off the boat from Ireland. Mary is excited to hear about stories and traditions from Ireland that are told by other members of the Irish community where she lives. One of the things she gets told about is the St. Patrick's Day parade. Mary is excited about this and all the stuff that surrounding it. More than anything, she wants to be part of it so she asks Mr. Finnegan, a local shop owner, if she can ride on his cart in the parade with him. Mr. Finnegan agrees but only if Mary McLean can find a perfect shamrock. This is an almost impossible task because it is winter. Mary searches and searches and she can't find one. She finally stumbles across a leprechaun who says he'll give her one later. Months later, he is back the day before St. Patrick's Day. Mary captures him and asks for the promised shamrock. The leprechaun says he lost it and tricks Mary into turning away. Mary goes home dejected. Her father comes home with a surprise! He found a shamrock for her and Mary is able to be in the parade. She's very happy.
This book is priceless. The artwork is fabulous and reminiscent of Norman Rockwell. The artwork is very engaging. Each page is laid out exactly the same. On the left side, there is the text. On the right side, there is a color illustration. The moral of the story seems to be that good things do happen to good people. This is a wonderful theme. It also seems to have a theme of good things happen to those who wait. This is something important to instill in children because so often they want things right now this very instant. The story line is entertaining and easy to follow. It is a wonderful book to read.

4.0 out of 5 stars Mary McLean and the St. Patrick's Day Parade, March 13, 2009

By 

Anna M. Ligtenberg "AnnaLovesBooks" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mary McLean and the St. Patrick's Day Parade (Paperback)

ISBN 059043702x - Once you get past Christmas, the holiday book choices tend to get very thin for kids, which makes the ones I do find all that much more enjoyable. St Patrick's Day was almost tailor made for children's stories.

In 1849, after several years of failed crops in Ireland, Mr. McLean and his wife packed up their family and headed to America. Once there, they settled in New York, in an area with a lot of other Irish immigrants. Mary hears vague stories about what Mr. Finnegan does each year for the St. Patrick's Day parade and, when she asks for details, learns that he drives a cart pulled by two white horses and looks like an Irish hero. Mary would really like to ride in Mr. Finnegan's cart. When she asks him, Mr. Finnegan says it's possible - but she'll have to bring him a perfect shamrock... IF she can find one!

There are a couple things about this book that, as an adult, bugged me. McLean, for one thing, is a Scottish name. Surely Steven Kroll, the author, could have come up with an Irish name for his Irish family! Also, despite coming to America from Ireland and living in an Irish neighborhood, the people in the book never discuss the meaning or celebration of St. Patrick's Day, which is - at the very least - a missed opportunity.

Kroll's text is fairly simple, appropriate for the 6 to 9 age group that the book is for, according to the cover. The author also improves upon the book by including some actual, historical facts about Ireland, St. Patrick's Day and Saint Patrick, in the back. Illustrator Michael Dooling gets high praise from me. His images take up the entirety of every other page in this oversized book and that's a lot of canvas to fill. A majority of the illustrations are (Norman) Rockwellian, very simple and plain and perfect for the era the story is set in.

- AnnaLovesBooks