Leprechauns and Irish Folklore: A Nonfiction Companion to Leprechaun in Late Winter (Magic Tree House Research Guide Series) »

Mary Pope Osborne has channeled a lifelong love of exploration and travel into one of the most popular children s book series of the past two decades. With her fantastic Magic Tree House series, Mary Pope Osborne keeps the good times rolling for kids all over the world.

Do the folk stories about leprechauns match our ideas about them today? Are there other fairies in Irish tradition? What are the origins of these stories? Why do people believe in leprecahuns and fairies? Find out the answers to these questions and more in Magic Tree House Research Guide #21: Leprechauns and Irish Folklore, Jack and Annie’s guide to the wee folk of Ireland.

Children's Literature

Did you know that leprechauns are not the only Irish fairies, that ring forts are found all over the Emerald Isle, and the American custom of Halloween had its roots in Irish Celtic culture? To learn more, open this book. The Pope sisters present clear definitions and explanations of types of Irish fairies and what they look like, their music and dance, where they live and where they can be found, and how they are an integral part of Irish culture. There are several stories of interactions with leprechauns and other fairies. Some of the stories are several hundred years old, such as that of Turlough O'Carolan, a blind harper and poet, who fell asleep on a fairy fort and woke up to play the music of the fairies. One of the stories takes place in 1999, when a group of engineers wanted to remove a hawthorn tree in order to build a road. Eddie Lenihan, a renowned storyteller, told them the fairies would be so angry that there would be many traffic accidents on that spot. He convinced them to work around the tree so as not to upset the fairies. Black and white photographs, copies of famous paintings and drawings by Murdocca illuminate the information in the text. Readers will discover ways to protect themselves against fairy mischief. They will find tips about doing research. A bibliography, internet resources, and an index are all part of this very readable and interesting "Magic Tree House Research Guide" intended as a companion to Leprechaun in Winter, book #43 in the "Magic Tree House" series. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo