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A Fine St. Patrick's Day
Every St. Patrick’s Day two Irish towns compete for the best decorations. But no one has counted on a stranger arriving who will turn the contest upside down! With a charming text by award-winning author Susan Wojciechowski and vibrant folk-art style illustrations by acclaimed artist Tom Curry.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
2 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Susan Wojciechowski
17 books21 followersSusan Wojciechowski was a children's librarian for many years. "Every December," she says, "I read the same two or three classic Christmas stories aloud to the children. I tried to find another one I wanted to read and couldn't. So I wrote THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE OF JONATHAN TOOMEY. I've never written anything that way before. It just came through me in a flood of inspiration and was finished in less than an hour." THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE OF JONATHAN TOOMEY proved an enormous success, selling out its first printing long before Christmas Day. In addition, it won numerous honors, including the Christopher Award for "affirming the highest values of the human spirit" and Britain's prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal, and was a finalist for a National Book Award.
Following the success of THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE OF JONATHAN TOOMEY, Susan Wojciechowski wrote the acclaimed middle-grade novel BEANY (NOT BEANHEAD)! This time, inspiration came when she was in bed with a cold. "Beany just stayed there, and by the time I was well, the stories were written," she says. Beany has since had more adventures in BEANY AND THE MAGIC CRYSTAL and BEANY AND THE DREADED WEDDING, both of which were honored with a Parents' Choice Gold Award, and more recently, BEANY GOES TO CAMP and BEANY AND THE MEANY.
Along with the time she spends writing, Susan Wojciechowski makes many visits to schools, where she shows slides and talks about her books and her own life. Among the information she shares with children is the fact that, like many of them, she had no interest in writing when she was growing up. "In regard to writing for children, I like to create realistic kid role models," she says, "like Beany, who is not perfect, but tries hard." A native of Rochester, New York, Susan Wojciechowski now lives in Pennsylvania with her husband.
Following the success of THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE OF JONATHAN TOOMEY, Susan Wojciechowski wrote the acclaimed middle-grade novel BEANY (NOT BEANHEAD)! This time, inspiration came when she was in bed with a cold. "Beany just stayed there, and by the time I was well, the stories were written," she says. Beany has since had more adventures in BEANY AND THE MAGIC CRYSTAL and BEANY AND THE DREADED WEDDING, both of which were honored with a Parents' Choice Gold Award, and more recently, BEANY GOES TO CAMP and BEANY AND THE MEANY.
Along with the time she spends writing, Susan Wojciechowski makes many visits to schools, where she shows slides and talks about her books and her own life. Among the information she shares with children is the fact that, like many of them, she had no interest in writing when she was growing up. "In regard to writing for children, I like to create realistic kid role models," she says, "like Beany, who is not perfect, but tries hard." A native of Rochester, New York, Susan Wojciechowski now lives in Pennsylvania with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
March 13, 2018
I like the lesson this book is getting out. Taking time to help, even when it is inconvenient is hard, but important. The towns of Tralah and Tralee are neighbors and they have a yearly decoration contest on St. Patrick's to see who is the most festive. Tralee has never won and this year they have a winning idea. The day they are getting ready, I stranger asks both towns to help which would mean they had to stop decorating. His cows were stuck in the river. Tralee decides to stop and help.
I love the green in this book and some of the names and sayings. I think it is telling me I need to visit Ireland. It was a fun Holiday story and I enjoyed it. The kids enjoyed it too, but it is a longer story and there were times it got antsy. I used my terrible Irish accent and that did make them laugh along with me.
A fine book indeed.
I love the green in this book and some of the names and sayings. I think it is telling me I need to visit Ireland. It was a fun Holiday story and I enjoyed it. The kids enjoyed it too, but it is a longer story and there were times it got antsy. I used my terrible Irish accent and that did make them laugh along with me.
A fine book indeed.
March 18, 2009
This is a nice story about the importance of kindness and selflessness and that there are alternatives to being competitive. It's a bit wordy at times and nothing really brilliant in the telling. Also, I was not a fan of the illustrations! The people looked more Italian than Irish, and some of it was just a bit too...um...modern for me (i.e., when people are walking forward, instead of just part of their eye you see the whole eye!) Others might enjoy it, though.
March 16, 2020
When I cracked this open and read the competing towns of Tralah and Tralee I was thinking oh no, this sounds like The Christmas Witch, with two weird-sounding rival towns, which I didn't enjoy.
Thankfully this ended up being a lot better than that.
I liked the Irish sayings and language, with 'tis, and sure and begorra.
I thought this was medieval, by the homes and clothing, so I was surprised when it had modern things in it, like cardboard, a hardware store, & bicycles. It didn't fit, and felt very out of place. This did not look like a modern Irish setting.
The two towns of Tralah and Tralee were preparing for the upcoming St. Patrick's Day decorating competition.
Amidst planning for it, a little man shows up, clearly a leprechaun, and asks Tralah for help getting his cows out of the mud. He's turned away at every house he comes to.
He goes to Tralee to a woman painting her house. She goes to the town square and summons the townspeople.
They're first concerned about the contest, but little Fiona says they need to help the cows.
They spend the rest of the evening helping him get his cows out of the muddy river. They didn't have any time left to paint.
The mayor goes to sleep saying they'll win next year.
But, to their surprise, they wake up to find the town painted.
The county judge awards them the golden shamrock trophy for the first time.
They eat their supper of lamb and boiled potatoes,& think to invite the stranger. All they find is a golden cowbell by the river.
Fiona remembered he told her by the river "you have already won."
The scale of Fiona and the little man were off. Both were taller than they should have been.
That evening, as the sun set, the green paint faded& everything turned to normal. Clearly the work of magic.
The next year, before the competition Fiona had another idea. The town never entered the competition again. They would polish the trophy and cowbell in the trophy case in the town hall, decorate their town and eat lamb and boiler potatoes.
It was a touching ending, though I had hoped the little man would show up again.
It was a lesson that it's not all about winning.
They seemed to realize the true meaning of the holiday, to celebrate with each other, and not compete with other people.
2.5 stars
Thankfully this ended up being a lot better than that.
I liked the Irish sayings and language, with 'tis, and sure and begorra.
I thought this was medieval, by the homes and clothing, so I was surprised when it had modern things in it, like cardboard, a hardware store, & bicycles. It didn't fit, and felt very out of place. This did not look like a modern Irish setting.
The two towns of Tralah and Tralee were preparing for the upcoming St. Patrick's Day decorating competition.
Amidst planning for it, a little man shows up, clearly a leprechaun, and asks Tralah for help getting his cows out of the mud. He's turned away at every house he comes to.
He goes to Tralee to a woman painting her house. She goes to the town square and summons the townspeople.
They're first concerned about the contest, but little Fiona says they need to help the cows.
They spend the rest of the evening helping him get his cows out of the muddy river. They didn't have any time left to paint.
The mayor goes to sleep saying they'll win next year.
But, to their surprise, they wake up to find the town painted.
The county judge awards them the golden shamrock trophy for the first time.
They eat their supper of lamb and boiled potatoes,& think to invite the stranger. All they find is a golden cowbell by the river.
Fiona remembered he told her by the river "you have already won."
The scale of Fiona and the little man were off. Both were taller than they should have been.
That evening, as the sun set, the green paint faded& everything turned to normal. Clearly the work of magic.
The next year, before the competition Fiona had another idea. The town never entered the competition again. They would polish the trophy and cowbell in the trophy case in the town hall, decorate their town and eat lamb and boiler potatoes.
It was a touching ending, though I had hoped the little man would show up again.
It was a lesson that it's not all about winning.
They seemed to realize the true meaning of the holiday, to celebrate with each other, and not compete with other people.
2.5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2015
Every year the towns of Tralee and Tralah compete for the best St. Patrick's Day decorations, and every year, Tralah wins the trophy. But this year, a small girl named Fiona has an idea that just might bring the trophy home to Tralee. When a funny little man comes riding through, there are consequences no one predicted.
As far as St. Patrick's Day read-alouds go, I think this is the best one I've come across. Of course, it has nothing really to do with the holiday itself, but it's still more entertaining than others I've read.
As far as St. Patrick's Day read-alouds go, I think this is the best one I've come across. Of course, it has nothing really to do with the holiday itself, but it's still more entertaining than others I've read.
September 28, 2013
I loved this book! The meaning behind it was so adorable and will teach children that competition isn't everything. The illustrations were very colorful and really helped to bring the book to life. I am not sure what time of illustrations they were, but they looked somewhat like acrylic paint. Overall, I think this is a great book to read to a classroom:)
March 13, 2013
Great St. Patrick's Day story with a great ending.
Read
March 1, 2026Fun illustrations with a message to help those in need, even if it means giving up something important.
March 15, 2023
A cute, cute book about two villages competing against one another to win the annual towns' decorating contest on St. Patrick's day. Every year, the Tralah defeats Tralee. This year, Tralee has chosen little Fiona's idea to paint everything (except the fire hydrants and mailboxes) in the town green. Everyone in Tralee is on board and excited while Tralee is sure to win again. But things happened that no one expected. On the day before St. Patrick's Day, as everyone was busy decorating, a little man came galloping on a horse and asked the townspeople for help. Will they stop decorating and help him? A delightful story ideal for St. Patrick's day.
March 17, 2009
Great book! Fun illustrations! Great story...two towns with a long history of competition and because of a little lass and an in-need Leprechaun (great to finally see a nice one!), one town realizes what it really means to win! The story doesn’t really touch on St. Patrick's day as far as traditions or history, but the lessons learned from St. Patrick himself about loving others is definitely at the heart of this story.
October 16, 2017
A great illustrated story about two towns competing over a shamrock trophy. When Trahlee, who has never won the St. Patrick’s Day decoration competition, stops decorating to help a stranger out. This wonderful story teaches children that sometimes it is better to lose or to forget about a competition and go help someone or in this case, a stranger who is in need of great help. Sometimes what you think is important, is not as important as helping and giving up your time for someone else.
March 14, 2010
This was a clever story that incorporates all the ideas of St. Patrick’s Day into one story. You have themes such as the green, shamrocks, a magical leprechaun, and the language of the Irish. The story also conveys a sense of community and charity along with the fun of the tale.
Ages 4-8
Ages 4-8
September 12, 2013
This is a fun story of two towns that compete each year to see who can decorate best for St. Patrick's Day. One of the towns never wins but is determined to win this year. Sweet story about character and competition. Would make a fun read-aloud with the Irish phrasing.
July 28, 2014
Great read for St. Patrick's Day. My 4 children ranging in ages from 17-8 listened intently as I read the story to them. They loved the characters fun names and enjoyed the story. Thank you for a great read!
May 5, 2017
It's more important to be kind than to win.
March 6, 2008
Too long for storytime
September 12, 2008
This is a fun book to read near St. Patrick's Day to teach about being kind to other's and to serve others, even when it is not convenient. Good things come to those who serve.
March 15, 2009
st. patrick's day - 2 towns compete to see who can decorate their town the best; one town ceases decorating to help a leprachaun who in return decorates the town so that they win
March 25, 2010
I never expected to find a St. Patrick's Day book that taught about priorities and giving of oneself. This did it. I wasn't a fan of some of the repetition but on the whole, it was a good read.
January 23, 2014
Great story for kids. Teaching them that people are more important than winning.
April 19, 2014
A very sweet book!
March 18, 2020
Not counting this towards The Heathers book challenge.
June 2, 2015
I wanted SO very much for this to be engaging, enthralling, etc.
It was read to my class on St. Patrick's Day.
Meh.
It was read to my class on St. Patrick's Day.
Meh.
April 11, 2016
'Tis surely a fine book!
March 18, 2016
Kindness.
May 24, 2017
This was a great story to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and about competition and caring about others.
March 16, 2020
The reviews on the back of the book described this as having "folk-art style" and "drolly mock-primitive paintings." If that's what this is considered, I am not a fan of folk-art or mock-primitive. By the cover alone I could tell I wasn't going to like any of the illustrations and I don't find them cute or anything. The design itself is sparse with not much on the pages. The people look strange and the horses have human eyes. Did not like the characters or animals at all.
I also found the time period very hard to grasp. The cities are designed like medieval villages with steeples and Gothic-looking cathedrals. But there are bicycles, knives, forks, hammers, saws, all kinds of other tools, paint rollers and brushes and all kinds of modern things. There was a hardware story and the town ordered hundreds of gallons of paint..what is this? It did not go together at all and made it impossible to pin down the setting.
Each year the two towns of Tralee and Tralah have a St. Patrick's Day decorating contest and Tralee has never won. But one year this little girl, Fiona, had an idea to paint all the buildings green. People with Irish surnames announce "'Tis a fine idea," "'Tis surely a fine idea," and "'Tis a most excellent idea."
Tralah started decorating their town too, with shamrocks hanging from their trees, which I really liked. And then a strange man rode into their town. I didn't get his appearance or what he was supposed to be. An elf, leprechaun, or what, as his strange attire seemed to point at. He knocked on door after door of the Tralah people and was met with rudeness and no one cared about his cows. They only cared about decorating and winning the contest.
But when he went to Tralee, the woman he met rang the bell for the entire town to respond. At first people were worried about the contest, but little Fiona (who looked insanely tragic) said they needed to help the cows. Everyone pitched in and went to the river to get his cows out of the mud. By the time they got done it was too late to decorate.
The next morning they found out their entire town had been painted green. They were sure they would win. It bothered me that no one even asked who could have done this or how it happened; they just immediately thought of winning. That made it seem like all they cared about was winning. I know they cared about the stranger and his plight, but I wish they would have shown some thankfulness to whoever had painted their town and not jumped immediately to whooping and hollering for a sure victory.
They finally got the gold shamrock trophy and were going to engrave it with Fiona's name. The mayor wanted the stranger invited but no one could find him. They had their annual supper and talked about the miracle but couldn't think of an explanation. Fiona remembered that the man had told her at the river that she had already won. I guess because they were nice and the better kind of people??
At sunset the town turned back to its original colors. The next year Fiona had the idea not to compete with Tralah. They would decorate and have their meal of lamb and potatoes but they wouldn't compete with the other town for a trophy. Everyone thought "'Twas a fine idea, to be sure." Outside of the "Twas," "tis," "to be sure," "sure and begorra," Irish surnames, and St. Patrick's Day decorating, it didn't feel Irish.
The only thing I liked about the book was the lesson it teaches. It shows you that being kind and caring and putting people's needs before yours is the right thing to do. It shouldn't be about competing and winning but about helping others, not to get anything in return, but that your actions might be rewarded if you do the right thing. The town that always won was really full of mean, uncaring people and as a result they didn't win, lost the only thing they cared about because of how they treated the stranger in need. I wish it had been clearer who had done it, in some way if the author had shown us the stranger painting the town so we would know for sure.
I also found the time period very hard to grasp. The cities are designed like medieval villages with steeples and Gothic-looking cathedrals. But there are bicycles, knives, forks, hammers, saws, all kinds of other tools, paint rollers and brushes and all kinds of modern things. There was a hardware story and the town ordered hundreds of gallons of paint..what is this? It did not go together at all and made it impossible to pin down the setting.
Each year the two towns of Tralee and Tralah have a St. Patrick's Day decorating contest and Tralee has never won. But one year this little girl, Fiona, had an idea to paint all the buildings green. People with Irish surnames announce "'Tis a fine idea," "'Tis surely a fine idea," and "'Tis a most excellent idea."
Tralah started decorating their town too, with shamrocks hanging from their trees, which I really liked. And then a strange man rode into their town. I didn't get his appearance or what he was supposed to be. An elf, leprechaun, or what, as his strange attire seemed to point at. He knocked on door after door of the Tralah people and was met with rudeness and no one cared about his cows. They only cared about decorating and winning the contest.
But when he went to Tralee, the woman he met rang the bell for the entire town to respond. At first people were worried about the contest, but little Fiona (who looked insanely tragic) said they needed to help the cows. Everyone pitched in and went to the river to get his cows out of the mud. By the time they got done it was too late to decorate.
The next morning they found out their entire town had been painted green. They were sure they would win. It bothered me that no one even asked who could have done this or how it happened; they just immediately thought of winning. That made it seem like all they cared about was winning. I know they cared about the stranger and his plight, but I wish they would have shown some thankfulness to whoever had painted their town and not jumped immediately to whooping and hollering for a sure victory.
They finally got the gold shamrock trophy and were going to engrave it with Fiona's name. The mayor wanted the stranger invited but no one could find him. They had their annual supper and talked about the miracle but couldn't think of an explanation. Fiona remembered that the man had told her at the river that she had already won. I guess because they were nice and the better kind of people??
At sunset the town turned back to its original colors. The next year Fiona had the idea not to compete with Tralah. They would decorate and have their meal of lamb and potatoes but they wouldn't compete with the other town for a trophy. Everyone thought "'Twas a fine idea, to be sure." Outside of the "Twas," "tis," "to be sure," "sure and begorra," Irish surnames, and St. Patrick's Day decorating, it didn't feel Irish.
The only thing I liked about the book was the lesson it teaches. It shows you that being kind and caring and putting people's needs before yours is the right thing to do. It shouldn't be about competing and winning but about helping others, not to get anything in return, but that your actions might be rewarded if you do the right thing. The town that always won was really full of mean, uncaring people and as a result they didn't win, lost the only thing they cared about because of how they treated the stranger in need. I wish it had been clearer who had done it, in some way if the author had shown us the stranger painting the town so we would know for sure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2023
Two towns rival for the St. Patrick's Day prize. Tralee never wins the golden shamrock trophy. One year, they decide to paint their entire village green. Instead of finishing, however, they help a stranger with his cows who are stuck in the mud. They know they have forfeited their chance to win. The next day, they wake to their town completely covered in green. They hurry to thank the stranger, but of course, he cannot be found.
A picture book that captures the true meaning of St. Patrick's Day.
A picture book that captures the true meaning of St. Patrick's Day.
March 25, 2025
Writing: 4/5
Art: 4/5
Family friendly values: compassion, putting others first, valuing the opinion of children
Overview: Two towns have a competition each St. Patrick's day, and while they are both occupied with preparations, a little man comes along begging for help with his cows stuck in the mud. Who will stop their preparations to help him, even if it means losing the competition? My kids liked this book, especially when I gave my best shot at an Irish accent. We will probably make this one a yearly tradition!
Art: 4/5
Family friendly values: compassion, putting others first, valuing the opinion of children
Overview: Two towns have a competition each St. Patrick's day, and while they are both occupied with preparations, a little man comes along begging for help with his cows stuck in the mud. Who will stop their preparations to help him, even if it means losing the competition? My kids liked this book, especially when I gave my best shot at an Irish accent. We will probably make this one a yearly tradition!
March 9, 2023
St. Patrick's Day has always been characterized as a day of green, luck, and shamrocks, but what is it like for the towns of Tralee and Tralah? As Tralee is preparing to hopefully win the decorating contest, they are visited by a stranger who needs their help. After abandoning their decorating to help this stranger, the town is sure they will lose the contest, but when they wake up the next morning, they find that their town is completely decorated.
March 18, 2024
This cute story about a celebration of Saint Patrick's Day, written by Susan Wojciechowski and illustrated by Tom Curry, has a good message about competing against people instead of helping them. It's set in Ireland and features two towns, their townspeople, and a mysterious man with a long pointy beard who is passing through.
The students liked it.
The students liked it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews