Leprechauns Never Lie

by Lorna Balian, Lorna Ballian (Illustrator)

Gram is ailing and Ninny Nanny, too lazy to care for their simple needs, says she'll catch a leprechaun to discover his hidden gold. Gram thinks it won't work--but does it?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Ireland, Holiday, Irish Literature, Humor

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely and cute little tale. Totally fun in every way.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I thought I knew where it was going and I was only mildly entertained, but the final page was a hoot. Not only do leprechauns never lie, but this one has one final trick up his sleeve, which made for a fun twist ending.

It says in the book that this was originally published in two colors, this edition being reproduced for the first time with full color, and while I haven’t seen the less colorful edition, I approve of the change.

There’s a cute cat too.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure at first where this story would be going but I ended up really smiling by the end. I really can't say much or it will give it away, but this is a cute (but not extraordinary) read if you can find it. Like the leprechauns, it is mischievous and clever and rather cute ;-) And I especially enjoyed the cat in every illustration.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a funny theme, lazy girl that won’t do any of the work, starts looking for the Leprechuns’s gold and ends up doing all the work. It didn’t hold the children’s interest though.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is my favorite St. Patrick's Day book! The little girl (Lazy Ninny Nanny) learns a good lesson from the leprechaun. Rather than chasing the pot of gold, just keep up with your four chores and you will have enough to be happy, comfortable, content, and full!
What are the four chores?
1--Keep the thatch patched with straw
2--Gather up firewood
3--Keep the rain barrel full of water
4--Harvest the potatoes to make soup
Love, love, love!

[Set · Rating 4 out of 5]

Irish tale of Leprechauns that cannot lie and find sneaky ways to tell the truth and trick human folk to get their way. This is a story about a very lazy girl and the leprechaun knew it. The illustrations are pretty horrendous but the story is clever and I love me an Irish tale of over yonder the rainbow.

[Sharelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! I always read it to my students (with an accent) then made potato soup for them to sample. (They loved the book, and the soup) The art is incredible! The life message is the best!!!

[Celina Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this Irish fairy tale. I read it to my children every St. Patrick's Day, and even read it to my son's 2nd grade class during their March is Reading Month event. It's witty, with a good moral, and very interesting illustrations!

[Jarrett Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mythical story that illustrates the Sawyer Effect (Dan Pink) well.

[Jia ♥ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not bad.

[Lisa Houston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little St. Patrick’s Day book. Predictable book. A great read aloud for younger children.

[Thomas Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this one. Especially like the grandmother lady's evolving attitude toward the leprechaun.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

We thoroughly enjoyed this fun story. Great illustrations. I need to see if there is an audiobook version so we can hear some Irish accents in the voices.

[Cheryl A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the archived copy on openlibrary.org. Fun take on a classic theme about how to get a lazy person to work, but the pre-epilogue ending is odd.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tricky leprechaun makes the incredibly lazy Ninny Nanny's wishes come true.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, fun story. Gram and Ninny Nanny live together and due to Ninny Nanny's laziness, they are in dire straights. Ninny Nanny decides the solution to their problems will be to find a leprechaun and get his pot of gold....so she catches a leprechaun and asks where his pot of gold is. He tells her in the straw, but it isn't there...oh no, he forgot, he moved it under a pile of sticks. But alas, she can't find it. She accuses him of lying and he assures her that leprechauns don't lie...and then tells her other places to search, including in their potato field. Will she ever find the pot of gold? Whether she does or not, at least she will have potatoes for dinner.

Great to talk about determination and effort and to not give up when things are hard.

[Markie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up loving this book and recently read it to my 4yo for the first time. It was as magical as I remembered.

Ninny Nanny and Gran have only each other and live a pretty miserable life until lazy Ninny Nanny decides she's going to catch a leprechaun and force him to give her his pot of gold. Then she catches one! It's known leprechauns are bound by faery law never to lie, but this one is forgetful. So Ninny Nanny ends up on a wild goose chase looking for the gold around their cottage and doing all the chores in the meantime.

This is as wonderful a story for kiddos as the adults who read to them—and who might just get an idea or two about using some magical motivation in their parenting.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining tale about clever leprechauns tricking lazy people into doing the work they should do for themselves.

The narrative is fun to read aloud and we liked the colorful illustrations; I understand that the original tale was monochromatic. Overall, it's an entertaining Irish tale, perfect for reading for St. Patrick's Day.


This book was selected as one of the books for the March 2014 - Ireland discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

[Brenda Thompson]

Ninny Nanny and Gram are in a bad state. The thatch on their roof is broken, the rain barrel is empty, the potatoes need digging, and all they have to eat is rainwater soup. But Ninny Nanny is lazy and not inclined to work. So she decides to catch a leprechaun and find out where he has hidden his fortune! The idea is splendid, but finding the pot of gold turns out to be much more than Ninny Nanny and Gram bargained for!

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations by the author are quite amazing: detailed pencil drawings on each page. The story goes on throughout the book, as it does in most books, and the cat is on all the pages sneaking a look. The Leprechaun shows up in most pages as well, and he really stands out with his green outfit. The lesson about this book deals with laziness and the truth, but it could take some time to figure them out!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great picture book for St. Patrick's Day. The story is fun with language that makes you want to read it with an Irish accent. The illustrations are great in black and white with a touch of green on the leprechaun.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever Leprechaun tricks his lazy captives into bettering their lives by surreptitiously getting them to do their chores. An entertaining tale with lovely illustrations make this book a fun read aloud to share on Saint Patrick’s Day or any day.

[Dest · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be great for storytelling on St. Patrick's Day.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

My fifth grade students loved this clever book!

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

My three-year-old loves this book and asks for it to be read daily. The ending made the weird beginning worth the read.

[Maryanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

My go-to read aloud for St. Patrick's Day.

[Shannon Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a fan of the black and white version of this story, but other than that I enjoyed the tale. I will definitely use this book in my future classes as a prelude to a St. Patricks Day activity.

[Angie Libert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contained a great moral about hard work, which I thought contrasts beautifully with the standard get rich quick desire of randomly finding gold.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tricky leprechaun book that teaches a young girl to work.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming story! this will be a fun read for the kids who visit the library in March!

The best story to read to students on St. Patty's Day!