How to Trap a Leprechaun with read along CD

by Sue Fliess

Legend has it that if you catch a leprechaun, he’ll grant you a wish. But, be careful! Leprechauns are full of trickery. To catch one, you’ll need to be clever in crafting your trap. Grab some glitter and glue and get prepared for your wily holiday visitors!On the night before St. Patrick’s Day, leprechauns show up to steal your treasures and then disappear as quickly as they came. However, if you’re careful you might be able to catch one and then he’ll grant you a wish. You’ll have to be sneaky and set just the right trap to trap a leprechaun.Sue Fliess’s read-aloud text and Emma Randall’s whimsical illustrations will provide much fun for young readers eager to catch their very own leprechaun! But leprechauns may leave you with nothing but a cardboard box and a shoe or two.Sky Pony Press, with our Good Books, Racehorse and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of books for young readers—picture books for small children, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and novels for young adults. Our list includes bestsellers for children who love to play Minecraft; stories told with LEGO bricks; books that teach lessons about tolerance, patience, and the environment, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Holiday, Storytime, Fantasy, Fiction, Cultural

Audio CD

First published February 7, 2017

About the author

Sue Fliess ("fleece") is the bestselling author of Robots, Robots Everywhere!, I'm a Ballerina! and How to Trap a Leprechaun, and more than 35 other children's books including Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket, Mrs. Claus Takes the Reins, Mary Had a Little Lab, Beatrice Bly's Rules for Spies, and many Little Golden Books. Her books have sold over 850,000 copies worldwide. Her background is in copywriting and PR/marketing, and her essays have appeared in O Magazine, HuffPo, Writer's Digest, and more. Fliess has also written for Walt Disney.

Her books have received honors from the SCBWI, have been used in school curricula, museum educational programs, and have even been translated into multiple languages. The Bug Book was chosen for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library three years in a row and The Hug Book was selected to the Imagination Library Australia.

She's a member of SCBWI, Children's Book Guild of DC, and the Author's Guild. She does book signings, school visits, and speaking engagements.

When she's not writing, she is walking her two silly English Labradors or busy with her two teen boys. She really misses traveling. Sue lives in Northern VA with her family. Visit her at www.suefliess.com.

Reviews

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the only St. Patrick's Day-themed e-book at our local library that I could find. I was hoping for a little more substance. As it is, this book assumes the reader will have some previous knowledge of leprechaun lore. (The note at the end suggests teaching kids a bit about Irish folklore ahead of time, which is probably a good idea. I just wish this book had done that!)

Rhyming text is set off by cute and colourful pictures depicting a group of children trying to catch a leprechaun. This may be my main issue with the book. I understand the myth, but I'm just not sure if I'm comfortable with teaching children to essentially kidnap little magical men for their own greed. If that doesn't bother you, though, you might enjoy this story that shows the kids building a creative trap to try to catch a leprechaun the night before St. Patrick's Day. They paint some rocks to look like gold, throw some glitter on a box, and build a rainbow slide.

The illustrations are nice, with an almost retro look to them. There's a nice amount of diversity represented as well. And of course there has to be a little redheaded girl! This is a book about an Irish myth, after all.

I would recommend this one with a couple of caveats. You might need to explain a little bit more about Irish myths and folklore if you want kids to understand the whole leprechaun thing. And perhaps a discussion about greed and forcible confinement is in order, too; we shouldn't be teaching kids they can hold people captive simply because they want something.

Quotable moment:

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ooh, a not horrible holiday book!!

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hip, cute, and colorful story. It wasn't formatted very well in e-book, but I think the paper edition will make for much more enjoyable reading.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great candidate for a storytime close to St Patrick's Day. It rhymes, and it has ideas for activities about creating your own leprechaun trap in the back. Nice resource for teachers, and a fun, imaginative story. Pre-K to grade 2.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

What little story there is seems to be present for the craft idea, which is fine.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute “holiday” book with nice illustrations. Instructions for a leprechaun trap are included in the back.

[Casandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this are adorable! And I love the idea behind it--letting kids' imaginations run a bit wild. The author's note at the end encourages parents to let their children build their own "leprechaun traps".

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's my third Sue Fliess book in a row where she purports to teach children how to trick astral beings. This time it's leprechauns. According to the publisher, on the front inside flap of the book jacket:

"Legend says if you catch a leprechaun, he’ll grant you any wish -- a new pet, a robot."

That part about getting a robot, that's just traditional lore? ;-)

In this book you learn to use supplies like fake gold to trick leprechauns. To this Goodreader, this book's craft project is part Get Rich Quick Scheme and part shameless trickery.

The degree of cleverness to the words... and the elegance of the drawings... and the playful disrespect... are all of a kind. So I think it only fair to rate this book from the standpoint of the indented audience: FIVE STARS.

I appreciate the ending, at least. (Though no spoilers from me, ha ha.)

MY CONCLUSION

According to our trusty Goodreads Blurber:

"The perfect storybook for boys and girls of the parents to capture the spirit of the Irish or make St. Patrick’s Day special."

Well, hello! To celebrate the spirit of the Irish, I'd rather read William Butler Yeats and James Joyce, thank you.

[Happy LittleReaders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legend tells of small green men that appear on St. Patrick’s day. Have you guessed what they are? Leprechauns! A group of kids have decided to trap a leprechaun with their very own trap. They work together, and build a magnificent trap. They make a rainbow slide for the leprechaun to slide down into, and a box filled with rocks painted gold. Then, put glue on the rocks and you will catch a leprechaun! The children see a leprechaun sneak into their room! They hide behind a couch, and see the leprechaun sliding down the slide! They run towards the box, but the leprechaun has gotten away. However, he left a note. It said that he admired the children’s teamwork and how they came together to build an amazing trap, but better luck next year!
Reason for recommendation: The book provides an opportunity for kids to learn about St. Patrick's Day traditions and Irish folklore through a fun and entertaining story and encourages kids to use their imaginations and think creatively to come up with their own leprechaun traps, which can be a fun and rewarding activity.

[Kathryn (Dragon Bite Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review first published on my blog, Nine Pages .

This book has only one kind of trap that it suggests setting for a leprechaun who will grant wishes and give you his gold: a cardboard box with gold-painted rocks as a lure, a rainbow slide to mark the gold, and glue on the rocks to keep the leprechaun from escaping the lure. This leprechaun, Liam, tells the kids, a diverse group, not to fret that he escaped but to go enjoy St. Patrick’s Day and to try to catch a leprechaun again next year. The text is told in rhyme, but lacks Pete’s limericks.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

My boys loved this book. We've set a number of Leprechaun traps over the years and our only disappointment in this book was that there weren't really new ideas on how we can improve our traps, but they loved that our experiences were so similar - gold painted rocks, boxes and sticky floors, even a shoe and a note left behind!

We also loved the fun, colorful illustrations, although I will admit that the biggest giggles came from the fact it looked like the leprechauns were farting rainbows. :-)

[RumBelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an adorable rhyming book for a read aloud to a group, or a one on one reading. It describes in very useful detail, a handy method to trap a Leprechaun. Once said Leprechaun is trapped, you can then perhaps have a wish granted, or even find his gold. Needless to say, it does not exactly work out that way, but it is a highly enjoyable story.

The illustrations are vibrant, fun and full of motion. At the end there is some information about the leprechaun in legend. A fun read for children.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great book! Perfect for young children and preschoolers! Will definitely use this book for St. Patrick's Day when I have my own my preschool classroom. The story rhymes and flows so well and the book has wonderful colorful illustrations. I like the note too at the end of the book that explains to educators and parents more about leprechauns and the idea for the children to make their own trap to try to catch the leprechaun. I love it.

[Mary Uhles · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book to read for a holiday that often just passes by... unless you remember to wear green. The rhyme is sharp and spot on and the gloriously colorful illustrations are fun to explore. My favorites were the dark spreads when the leprechaun makes an appearance. This is a delightful read that will make a fun St. Patrick's Day bedtime romp.

[Steffanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really cute rhyming Leprechaun picture book! The pictures are gorgeous, the story is great, and there is information about the folklore at the end of the book! I will definitely be able to use it for storytime.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Step by step instructions on how to trap a leprechaun and remove him of his treasure. Leprechauns can be tricky, but according to this book, if you follow theses steps to the letter a leprechaun you will trap.

[Cynthia Gutzwiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a whimsical fun and enchanting story. The illustrations belong in The land of Leprechauns. I highly recommend this great book for everyone who wants to build and create a Leprechaun trap on St. Patrick's Day and for those who want to practice year round.

[Alissa Tsaparikos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun one that makes a good read-a-loud due to it's rhyming and lyrical text. It includes backmatter that further goes into the Irish tradition of Leprechauns as well as the STEAM activity of building a Leprechaun trap. I used this in one of my STEAM programs to get the project started.

[Charlotte S · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this fun book with smart rhymes, four kids try to capture a leprechaun! Will they succeed? These illustrations are so cute, too! It is an absolutely AMAZING book! Follow @bronteandwilder on Instagram for more fun book recommendations!

[Sharrell Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a lot of fun because it encourages kids to think out the box and embrace their imagination. How I would add this book to my class is by having kids come up with their own plan to catch a leprechaun

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun story for St. Patrick's Day, and Sue Fliess is a great writer who manages to keep this story entertaining and fun while rhyming. I think some of the books in this series are written by other authors and not all of the stories in this series are as good as this one.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The kids work together to set up a trap for a leprechaun on the night before St. Patrick's Day but he escapes and leaves them a note to try again next year. Informative text about the holiday and creating a trap at the end.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really fun book for St. Patrick's day. Good leprechaun activities in the back matter for educators and parents

[Liz C · Rating 4 out of 5]

So hard to find St. Patty's books for storytime so when this one popped up on B&T I had to order it. It didn't disappoint! I'll be using it next week for storytime.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with Kindergarten. It rhymed. It was decent.

[Joy Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute for St. Patrick's Day

[Jennifer Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg so cute!

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are not many St. Patrick's Day picture books around. This one is very cute. I think that every child who reads or hears this book, will want to build a Leprechaun trap!

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun lead in to making leprechaun traps.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because they tried to catch a leprechaun and you'd need a perfect gear, and you'd actually need real gold (not fake), and sometimes they disappear in a wink, if you wink!