The Luckiest Leprechaun

I got this book for St. Patty’s Day and have read it several times since. This “tail-wagging tale of friendship” is a satisfying tale of two unlikely friends: a leprechaun and a dog. Written by Justine Korman, the leprechaun is, of course, small and constantly hiding from treasure hunters determined to find his gold. MacKenzie O’Shamrock outwits them every time though, as he proclaims to the reader with several uses of exclamation marks! He is a passionate character with a strong personality. The author portrays him in a humorous and sarcastic way, but Mac is serious all the time, even as he cobbles shoes for the fairies. On the other hand there is Lucky, a gentle and loving dog who unexpectedly destroys the roof to Macs house. Lucky is determined to make it up to Mac, who doesn’t want anything to do with the “mangy mortal.”

Without giving too much away, I can say that this is a fantastical story with a talking dog and fairies that show Mac what friendship is all about, and how lonely he didn’t know he was. Having the little prince on my mind, I can say that Lucky “tamed” Mac and took responsibility for taking care of him, even when his gold was in danger. The illustrations were done in paints and colored pencils using vivid colors. More than anything else, the strong color of Kelly green comes across throughout the book, very representative of Irish ties. This would be a wonderful read aloud for younger audiences, and would be made even better with an Irish accent.