St. Patrick's Day

by Gail Gibbons

Every year on March 17th, people all over the world celebrate St. Patrick's Day!

In this bright picture book, nonfiction master Gail Gibbons tells you everything you need to know about this holiday. You'll learn the story of Patrick's life, legends about the saint, and the history of the holiday.

From shamrocks to shillelaghs, Gail Gibbons' signature combination of accessible text and clear, colorful illustrations creates a perfect introduction to a fun holiday.  A perfect introduction to the customs surrounding the holiday-- parades, special meals, and of course wearing lots of green. 

Filled with facts, legends, and traditions, this book is ideal for kids learning about the holiday, Irish culture, and history.

Genres: Picture Books, Holiday, Nonfiction, Childrens, History, Biography, Religion

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

From gailgibbons.com: I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1944. Even as a little child, I was always busy putting books together. Sometimes I would bind them with yarn to hold the pages together. I've always loved drawing and painting. I was also a very curious child. My parents tell me that I was always asking lots and lots of questions.

Later, I went on to the University of Illinois, where I studied graphic design. Then I moved to New York City, where I got a job doing artwork for television shows. Eventually I was asked to do the artwork for a children's show. While doing that show, some of the children asked me if I had ever thought of doing children's books. My mind immediately recalled how much I enjoyed doing that type of thing when I was a child. So I put an idea for a book together and right away a publisher bought it. That book was called Willy and His Wheel Wagon. Since then, over 170 books that I have written and illustrated have been published. The type of books I write are non-fiction books. This is because I love researching so much. I get to ask lots of questions, just like when I was a kid. I also get to travel and meet lots of interesting people. While doing research for my book Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests, I traveled to two islands where there are tropical rain forests, Saba and Dominica. I also had a great time writing and illustrating the book. I get a lot of pleasure from doing the type of work I do.

Reviews

[Kaitlin Niedert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book teaches kids about St. Patricks day and the reason behind it, St. Patrick. The book tells about St. Patrick's life and the traditions that go along with the holiday. This book would be a great book when teaching students about the holiday and helping them understand how it started.

[Sheila · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually love Gail Gibbons books, especially the holiday ones. This one had *way* too much Catholic content (the pope, sainthood, etc) for me. I didn't like the emphasis on the questionable things - St. Patrick turning poison into ice, etc. Christian parents, especially Protestant ones, should be aware of the slant of this book before reading it to your children. I wish that I had "screened" it first.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of confusing in that it starts out as a story about Patrick, and then devolves into facts about modern St. Patrick's Day celebrations. But still, crams a lot of St. Patrick info into there. (Though frankly I skipped over the bit about giving family members cards, because . . . what?) But love the pictures!

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is very misinformed and has no less than 15 inaccuracies about Saint Patrick, the Irish, and his actions.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this non-fiction book concerning a holiday-"holy day" about a Catholic Saint's Day, in this case Saint Patrick. Of course it did not ignore how and why Patricius (the Latin name given to him by the Pope in 432) became a saint and why we celebrate his Catholic Feast Day, how could it? Saint Patrick was a Catholic Bishop who did missionary work in Ireland. This is another fine non-fiction book by Gail Gibbons. It is informative and interesting.

I noted that while this is a children's book and it is relatively easy to read, apparently it is also very easy to misunderstand. One person went so far as to find "questionable" information in it in the legends presented. Catholics will not find anything "questionable" in this book. Others may find it "questionable," but I firmly believe it is only due to a lack of understanding.

First and foremost, the legends are not meant to be taken literally. The individual who found the information "questionable" seems to have a limited knowledge of literature and especially a limited knowledge of folklore. She also seems to have a limited understanding of Christianity and the history of religion.

At the end of the story, several legends are presented. These legends are used as symbolism. Symbolism is used in many kinds of writings. For example, if one slept on a hard bed one might write that they slept on a stack of bricks. Is it easy for most people to understand that the mattress was very hard and not actually made of bricks? How about a 4 or 5 year old? Some people and children will understand and some won’t. In fact, some listeners will imagine a person literally sleeping on a mattress made of bricks!

Symbolism in literature is very important. In all of the legends presented in Gail Gibbon’s book, symbolism makes an appearance. It makes sense that legends about a Catholic Saint would contain symbolism. The Bible, Catholicism and religion in general tends to contain many symbolisms. The cross, the rosary, the snake, the dove—are all symbols representing Catholic beliefs. In addition, these symbols sometimes appear in non-symbolic literal ways. The legends presented are Catholic stories that are and were used to teach about God and it is natural that they should also contain symbols. It is important to read these legends understanding those facts. It is important to read all literary works based on religious figures with an open mind and a lot of caution especially if the religious figure or religious work is outside of one’s religion (as is evident in the person who found the legends "questionable" and is obviously not Catholic).

If a person happens upon a book that takes a religious slant, they should either quit reading it, or they should try to find out what that particular religion believes and what that religion's symbolism is and THEN they should interpret the work. If they can’t or decide they do not want to do that, then they should probably exercise caution in their reviews and interpretations, which is the intelligent thing to do. Ignorance and actions taken upon ignorance often lead to misunderstandings and hate that is un-Christian, wrong, and mean. Why not ask for help with the interpretations or simply state that it was unfamiliar to you and that others would get more from it if they shared the same beliefs represented in the work?

When people read literature, even a story as simple as one in a child’s book, they only do right by the story when they take the time to understand why the story was written, what message it is meant to convey, who the audience is, and any literary devices (symbolism, etc) the author used that might affect how it is meant to be interpreted. When reviewing a story, it is also very important to be knowledgeable about what type of work one is reading so as to be fair in one’s interpretation (and review) and the historical context of the work if it is important. In this case all of the above is important.


Interpreting the Legends:

Saint Patrick and the snakes: In this one the snakes represent paganism and evil. Saint Patrick got rid of evil paganism in Ireland and replaced it with Christianity. No literal snakes…. Sorry.

Saint Patrick and the poison: In this one, the wizard represents a Druid (a pagan priest), the cup and drink means the message St. Patrick was telling, and the ice means that St. Patrick quickly showed that there was no merit in the lies (poison) the Druid tried to put in it. It can also mean that a Druid literally tried to kill St. Patrick and was unable to when St. Patrick stopped him cold (the ice!). More likely than not, neither the cup, nor the ice, nor the poison are literally real.

Saint Patrick and the Cloak: In this one, a convert (the friend) has been saved from evil or Hell (the big fire) by Saint Patrick’s cloak (the message given by Saint Patrick---or a belief in God attributed to Saint Patrick’s preaching that the friend was able to use as protection).

Saint Patrick and the shamrock: This one is easy. St. Patrick needed a teaching tool and so he picked up a three leaf clover (there are a lot of these in Ireland), and so he used it as a visual aid to show how three things (The Blessed Holy Trinity) could have the same stem (God). No, the shamrock is not really Jesus, The Holy Spirit and God.

Saint Patrick and the fish: The sea is the life giving water, which is also the Living Water: Who is Jesus Christ. The fish are men/people. Fish are pretty standard symbolism for men (people) in Catholicism. The altar of Saint Patrick—simply means Saint Patrick is taking the men (fish)to Jesus and God, which is why they are passing by his altar (the altar represents Saint Patrick’s life of preaching against paganism).

Saint Patrick and the Sunset: The sun didn’t set for 12 days and nights when Patrick died. This one just means that Patrick was given a 12 day send off when he died. He was very special and deserved a long funeral. He was so special he was declared a saint.

Saints play in important role in Catholicism. They aren’t just people to have fun holidays over. They were humans who lead exemplary lives. According to the Catholic Church they are worthy of being looked up to as role models. (Who needs actors or models or singers to emulate, when you have a whole bunch of people who lead holy lives and who loved God so much they dedicated their entire lives to HIM?) Patrick was special and became a saint. It doesn’t mean that Patrick was perfect. It only means that it was decided that, “Patrick must be in Heaven with God."

Saint Patrick lived over 1500 years ago. It was a time when people didn’t have books and didn’t even know how to read. There weren’t schools and the world was certainly not modern. And so, men like Saint Patrick used stories like Jesus did---it was a traditional way --to teach important lessons and to convert people to Christianity. When others told stories about Saint Patrick, they used the same forms of story-telling.

Saint Patrick is a Catholic Saint and presented in Bishop’s attire in the cover, which is a clue that his religious aspects will be mentioned in the story book. Saint Patrick’s Catholic Heritage does and should affect the stories that are told about him, as they do in this book. Gail Gibbons got it 100% right.

Like many religions, Catholics have ways and reasons to pray. We pray in gratitude and we pray in times of need. We pray for our children, our spouses, for health, etc. We pray when we are lonely, sad, depressed and sick or when someone we love is. We pray for people we know and for complete strangers. Saints can have an important role in our prayer if we have that desire, so they are special to us and not just another excuse for a holiday. We can ASK any of the Saints to pray for us to God—we can pray ourselves to God as well of course, but the bigger and more saintly our prayer chain the better, wouldn’t you agree?


While it can be fun to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with parties, parades, wearing green, pinching those not wearing green, making crafts, decorating, eating green foods and deserts, reading books and learning about Saint Patrick, hitting the Irish Pubs, having a green beer and doing an Irish jig, it is a Catholic Saint Feast Day and its Catholic Heritage should be respected.

The facts about Saint Patrick's Day. Saint Patrick is a patron saint of Ireland. Patrick was a real man. His name wasn't Patrick at first, though. He was given the name Patrick by Pope Celestine I. He became a Catholic Biship and decided to help Christianize pagan Ireland---which the Catholic Church is grateful for. Saint Patricks's missionary work is why he achieved Catholic Sainthood. After Patrick died he was declared a saint. His Feast Day is celebrated on March 17th which is the day he died and went to Heaven. Saint Patrick is one of many Catholic Saints. Saint Patrick is so popular that many non-Catholics have heard about him and have celebrated his Feast Day at least once or twice---maybe even more! Nowadays, a lot of non-Irish people (don't worry, Patrick wasn't Irish either!) and a lot of non-Catholics celebrate Saint Patrick's Day. It is a lot of fun!

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned quite a bit from this book. Her books are more informative and fact-based so that you learn a lot about the origin and history of the holiday, not just today's celebrations. 

St. Patrick's Day is in honor of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. He was born in Britain around the year 380 and raised in a Christian family. Some believe his real name was Maewyn. As a boy he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave, and made to herd sheep. He prayed to God for escape and 6 years later he was able to. 

When he made it back to Britain, he lived quietly and prayed. He wanted to teach people in Ireland about God. He moved to France to study religion and the Pope named him Patricius, Latin for Patrick. He became a priest and then a bishop. In Ireland he built churches and schools. He was kind and everyone loved him. 

He died on March 17th so that is why he's honored on that day, and the Catholic Church later made him a saint. People go to church to give thanks to him. People wear green to honor an Irish custom. People burned branches with green leaves hundreds of years ago in March and spread ashes in fields to make them fertile and green. Green honors Ireland, the Emerald Isle. 

The shamrock is the symbol of Saint Patrick and Ireland. 

Leprechauns are remembered because the Irish used to believe in them. If you caught one, you could make him lead you to a pot of gold. The word comes from an old Irish one luchorpan, meaning wee one. They thought they were the size of your thumb. 

I learned about shillelaghs which I don't think I've ever heard of. Many years ago there was an old forest called Shillelagh and the Irish liked to own a "sprig of shillelagh," which was a short oak club. People often decorated them with green ribbons.

The harp is one of the oldest instruments and has been popular in Ireland since ancient times. 
The first time it was celebrated in the U.S. was in 1737 in Boston. For many it's a day of worship and celebration but for many it's a time to feel a little bit Irish if you're not. 

I liked the legends section about St. Patrick at the end, even though joke of them can be true. 
It's said that he got rid of all the snakes in Ireland. He beat his drum and frightened them into the sea. That's why there's no snakes in Ireland today.

Some say a wizard tried to poison him so he turned it into ice and poured it out of his cup. 
It's said a friend borrowed his cloak and there was a fire but he wasn't hurt because he wore St. Patrick's cloak.

He used the shamrock to explain to people about the three divine beings of God: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

It's said that fish jump out of the sea on March 17th and pass before his altar in Ireland and back into the sea. 

It's said that the sun didn't set when he died and that it shone for 12 days and nights. 
Where they fall a little flat is when she writes things like people give cards to family and friends, and make cakes, cookies, and goodies. Some people give flowers and wear green carnations and shamrock pins. There might be plays. St. Patrick's Day plays? Where?? That isn't a celebration anyone associates with the day. 

Some have quiet time with family and friends to remember the saint. There are often meals. It's so generic! What kind of meals, any specialities or traditional dishes?

Parties are given with Irish songs, Irish jigs, and games. There are parades with flags and pipers and fiddlers playing Irish tunes. 

They're all very outdated with information that's no longer relevant. They need to be revised for the modern times. The images are very simple and not detailed. I don't like looking at them because they're not pretty or cute or anything, they're just old.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned some new things about St. Patrick that other books haven't mentioned, so that was nice. I like that it wasn't just about the holiday, it also included stuff on Ireland in general.


Saint Patrick was born in 380.
In 432 the Pope renamed Maewyn Patricius, Latin for Patrick. He became a priest and then a bishop.
The Catholic Church later made him a saint. He died in 461 on March 17.

There was a very modern house in ancient times, which was very out of place. They could have tried harder there...

Dressing in green is based on ancient Irish customs, where people burned branches with green leaves in march and spread ashes in their fields to make them fertile and green.

Shamrocks are three-leafed plants that resemble clover. They're a symbol of Ireland and St. Patrick.

In historical times Irish believed in leprechauns, and how you could make them lead you to their gold. The word comes from Luchorpan, wee one. They thought they were the size of your thumb.

Shillelagh used to be the name of an old oak forest in Ireland. People liked having a "sprig of shillelagh," which was a shirt oak club from that forest. They're often decorated with green ribbons.
The harp is one of the oldest musical instruments and has been popular in Ireland from its beginning. It became a part of St. Patrick's day decorations.

These books are always dated, saying people give cards to others on this holiday, when I would say most don't.

I've heard that Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland, but this actually includes how he supposedly did it. He beat his drum and scared them into the sea.
One legend tells how a wizard tried to poison him,& he turned the poison in his cup to ice.
The drawing of him pouring a block of ice out of his cup was humorous.
Another legend tells of how a friend lent Patrick's cloak, and there was a fire where he was staying, but he wasn't hurt because he had Patrick's cloak.
One legend says every year on march 17, fish rise from the sea. They pass in front of his altar in Ireland and go back to the sea.
The sun supposedly didn't set the day Patrick died, but shone for 12 days and nights.

[Set · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is almost like reference book for grade-schoolers. It has a lot of backstory, beliefs, legends, activities, traditions, and customs of st. Patrick's day.

[♥♣Mary♦♠ If She So Pleases · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illustrations aren't all that great but the lit is actually quite informative for Children. It's about Saint Patrick and the traditions.

[Alexandria K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, tells about St. Patrick's life. His name wasn't originally Patrick. It was Maewyn. Later on, a lot of years after he died the Pope declared him a Saint St. Patrick. When he was a teenager he was kidnapped by pirates and made a slave. Later on, in a late night God told Maewyn in a dream how to escape. So that night he escaped and went to a monastery to learn more about God.

[Logan Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Informational Nonfiction
Grade: K-1
This is a small yet good book that shows the tradition of St. Patrick’s Day. Before this, I didn’t really know much about the reason why there is a St. Patrick’s Day and so that was cool to learn more about it. This will be a good book to have in the class when is St. Patrick’s Day to help teach the kids about the day and why it’s celebrated.

[Kristina Phelps · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nonfiction
Grade Level: K-3
You can learn all about the real story of St. Patrick by reading this book. This book tells the story of St. Patrick’s life, why he is celebrated, and the meaning of St. Patrick’s Day. I used this book as a read aloud in my first grade classroom and followed it up with a fun St. Patrick’s Day activity. My students loved it!

[Lynnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

simple pictures, simple sentences, and a simple way to explore the holiday. It was very straightforward and would be easy for a toddler or preschooler to understand. It's a full exploration of the holiday so it does mention that people pray to St. Patrick and it does mention leprechauns and such. it doesn't say they're real or approve of the actions. Just stares that it happens.

[Rachel Rouleau · Rating 3 out of 5]

It appears Gail Gibbons has a book on every possible topic under the sun. The lady was (is?) busy. Nonfiction is becoming more interesting to my daughter at 4.5 so we def need to check out more. We've liked a number of her books so far.

[Kristin Sadler]

This is a book about the holiday of St. Patricks Day and how it came to be a holiday. In the classroom I would use this as a lesson to do activities involving the holiday and even things on my own to show the children that a "leprechaun" visited.

[Mary Tumbleson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book teaches about St. Patrick’s Day. It’s very informative as it discusses the history of Saint Patrick and it explains many ways that people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, though it is still a quick read. I would definitely recommend this for kids wondering about the holiday.

[TheRetiredSchoolLibrarian |Mrs. Ferraris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief summary: This narrative nonfiction tells about the customs that are celebrated on St. Patrick's Day. Readers will also learn about St. Patrick's life and some of his legends. I learned why it is celebrated on March 17th as well as that some say his real name was Maewyn.

Rating 4/5 📗📗📗📗

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little Catholicky (praying to Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland), but mostly good. Very similar to this book.

[Candi Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great information book to explain St. Patrick's Day to children.

[Sherry Scheline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much about St. Patrick. This is a wonderful book for K-5. It is packed with information. The art is incredible.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The leprechaun likes to come visit the kiddos every March and he leaves them fun and entertaining things, including this story.

[Doniell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few parts were vague, hence a loss of 1 star. My 5yo could understand and follow the story pretty well. Our favorite part is the illustrations! They are so classic, and well done.

[Sheli · Rating 5 out of 5]

great information and colourful illustrations. Some Christian content.

[Nahuatl P Vargas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Casa año uso este libro para explicar sobre San Patricio en mis clases de inglés para niños.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy ST. Patrick day!!!!!!!!!!!

[Della Tingle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect St. Patrick’s Day book for all ages! Both informative and fun, the illustrations enhance the text, and the “Legends about Saint Patrick” at the end are very interesting!

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This tells the story of the holiday and also explains important symbols and traditions. We especially love the legends of St Patrick included towards the end.

[LadyHague · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than most! Still shunt at Patrick…

[frogfairie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

[Delaney June Dorko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the child-friendly telling of the story of St. Patrick. But the end of the book gets a bit repetitive. I think the last couple of pages could have been condensed down.