Shannon and the World's Tallest Leprechaun [Hardcover]

Sean Callahan (Author), Kathleen Kemly (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: 2 and up

Shannon is a stepdancer with a broken shoe. How can she ever win the Saint Patrick's Day stepdancing contest? Enter Liam, the world's tallest leprechaun. A leprechaun grants wishes, right?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1–4—A tale of leprechaun magic set in modern times. Shannon has been practicing hard for the Saint Patrick's Day step dance contest at the Irish-American Heritage Center, but she doesn't think she'll win because of her homemade dress and secondhand shoes. When she breaks a heel, she despairs, realizing that her parents cannot afford another pair of shoes. She remembers a family superstition and counts backward in Gaelic. To her amazement, a leprechaun—one who is almost six feet tall and garbed in a green suit and leather apron—materializes and offers to grant her three wishes. Liam fulfills her first request, for new dancing gear, by showing her how to take care of the things she already has and repairing the broken heel. He deals with her other wishes in equally roundabout ways, causing her to doubt his abilities, but, by contest time, Shannon has not only made a friend, but has also learned that passion and practice are much more important than appearances. Callahan's text is filled with amusing dialogue that keeps the story from becoming message-heavy. Kemly's vibrant pastels play up the surprise and humor of a very tall "wee man" and provide colorful backdrops for the action. A fresh choice for holiday programs or in communities where Irish dance is popular.—Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal
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From the Inside Flap

Shannon is a stepdancer with a broken shoe. How can she ever win the Saint Patrick's Day stepdancing contest? Enter Liam, the world's tallest leprechaun. A leprechaun grants wishes, right?

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807573264
• ISBN-13: 978-0807573266
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,373,004 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sean Callahan has written five books for children and more are on the way. He works a day job as a business reporter. He also was the founding editor of Masters Athlete magazine. Before that he was a newspaper reporter in Chicago and Steamboat Springs, Colo. His freelance journalism has appeared in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, Salon.com and Notre Dame Magazine. He lives in Chicago with his wife and two daughters.

For inquiries about Sean making an appearance at your school or doing a reading, call him at 312.622.4593 or email him at [e-mail].