St. Patrick's Day Shamrocks

by Mary Berendes

Describes the tiny green plants known as shamrocks, the customs and origins of St. Patrick's Day, and how the shamrock became the national symbol of Ireland

Genres: Holiday, Picture Books

32 pages, Library Binding

First published August 1, 1999

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

So yes, I do from an informational point of departure think that with regard to her presented contents, author Mary Berendes certainly does a pretty decently and more than sufficiently informative job introducing both shamrocks and Saint Patrick (and to a very small extent also Ireland in general) with her 1999 picture book St. Patrick’s Day Shamrocks, and with me even discovering botanical information on shamrocks entirely new to me, such as for example that even though most people consider shamrocks to be an Irish name for white clover, there are and always have been questions regarding what type of a trefoil plant the shamrock actually is and that it is thus and definitely not a unanimous consensus that shamrocks are white clover plants, since some individuals in fact seem to think that shamrocks are not clover at all but rather an Irish type of sorrel. But yes, since shamrocks are indeed mostly considered and approached as being white clover, I also do rather have to wonder a bit why when at the end of St. Patrick’ Day Shamrocks, Mary Berendes asks whether the shamrock is considered to be lucky in and out of Ireland she kind of forgets to mention that in general (both in Europe and elsewhere), it is in fact the rare instances where clover plants have four and not three leaves that is considered lucky and a sign of good fortune.

But I do have to admit that textually speaking and in my humble opinion, while the details which Mary Berendes presents about shamrocks as plants, as botanical specimens in St. Patrick Day Shamrocks are quite sophisticated vocabulary wise and show biological and botanical information more suitable for older children above the age of eight or so (on photosynthesis for example and on why photosynthesis is so essential not just for plants but basically for life on earth in and of itself), Berendes’ account of Saint Patrick and on the legends surrounding him (as well as her details on Saint Patrick’s Day and that everything Irish is celebrated on March 17th), this all feels and reads as much simpler in both content and textual tone. And yes, the latter actually so much so in fact that the dichotomy between Mary Berendes’ detailed and rather scientific explanation and analysis of shamrocks as plants and in particular her words on Saint Patrick’s life and times is so obvious and in one’s proverbial fave so to speak that St. Patrick’s Day Shamrocks almost feels like two separate books, with the first part and the second part of course being related theme and content wise but not really all that much with regard to writing style (and with the simplistic description of Saint Patrick and that the only legend being mentioned by Mary Berendes is the one where Patrick supposedly used the three leaves of the shamrock to explain the holy trinity definitely feeling rather lacking compared with and to the meticulous botanical detail encountered when Berendes introduces shamrocks and asks what kind of plants they are supposed to represent), and not to mention that the non inclusion of a bibliography, that Mary Berendes does not bother to textually acknowledge her sources is both hugely academically annoying for me and also in my humble opinion that this quite lessens the educational value of St. Patrick’s Day Shamrocks.

And finally, I also and furthermore do think that my three star rating for St. Patrick’s Day Shamrocks is actually rather generous on my part, for usually, a non fiction picture book which has issues with some parts being too simplistic and is also not featuring any bibliographic materials would generally only be worth two stars maximum for me. However, I really have enjoyed in particular Mary Berendes’ descriptions of what shamrocks are (or might be) and how important green plants like the latter are for life on earth, and have also found the many green, the many verdant photographs of shamrocks and other trefoil plants aesthetically delightful, that even with my issues concerning authorial simplicity with regard to in particular the description of Saint Patrick’s life and the annoying lack of secondary sources, yes, I do still rather recommend St. Patrick’s Day Shamrocks and will albeit a bit grudgingly I might add consider the combination of Mary Berendes’ text and the accompanying visuals with a three star rating.

[Eileen Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is perfect to use to explain to younger children about what St. Patrick's day is and how it is celebrated. It is easy enough to read that beginning readers will be able to read.

Starting out with the color that is best known for on St. Patrick's Day - green, to the clovers, to the legend of St. Patrick. This book will enlighten those readers to better understand what St. Patrick's Day is all about. Children could also use this book as a source for information when doing a research project.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful little book covering St. Patrick's Day. It talked about the trivia of St. Patrick's Day and did not neglect the story of the very real man who became St. Patrick in the Catholic Church. There are plenty of pictures and photographs to keep a child's interest as well. Read and enjoy!

[Dorothy Carder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a short book about the history of St. Patrick's Day. It talked about the country of Ireland, the religious figure St. Patrick, shamrocks and folklore about the holiday. The book used photographs to coincide with the text. It was a quick read about the basics of this holiday and why it is celebrated...because it is fun!

[MrsMaryLibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent informative book and still kid-friendly. Answers questions about shamrocks such as: What are they, why are they green, how did they become the symbol, are they lucky....along with what is St. Patrick's Day and who was he? Modify or pick out topics for PreK Storytime. Will use again!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read about St. Patrick's day in many other books, but I learned new things from this one. It's a great summary. The photos are helpful!

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun quick read; there was a nice mix of plant biology and religious history. I think this book would be a great tool to teach a quick baseline on the history of the holiday and the importance of St. Patrick as a historical figure. Definitely a fitting read since the holiday is fast approaching.