St. Patrick's Day

April 1, 1994
K-Gr 2-A basic introduction to the holiday-how it began, the life and works of St. Patrick, and the various ways in which the day is celebrated. The text is clear and concise, and the pages are full of information. Gibbons's simple, clean, full-page watercolor-and-ink illustrations flow logically from one to the next. Particularly welcome are descriptions of some St. Patrick's Day symbols, such as shamrocks, leprechauns, and Celtic harps. A couple of picture books are available on the subject, such as Alice Schertle's Jeremy Bean's St. Patrick's Day (Lothrop, 1987), but this is an outstanding choice to fill the bill for nonfiction.-Kay McPherson, Central Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, GA

February 1, 1994
Gr. 2-4. In a book similar to those she's done for topics ranging from boats to birthdays, Gibbons offers information about St. Patrick's Day in an easily digestible text and a clean, colorful format. She covers the salient details of Patrick's life--his boyhood in slavery, his return to Britain, where he was ordained, and his life dedicated to the conversion of the Irish--and she highlights the symbols and happenings of St. Patrick's Day. At the conclusion, she describes some of St. Patrick's miracles, one to an illustrated box. The artwork, as one would expect, is heavily accented with green and is typical of Gibbon's work--simply drawn, yet full of zest and quite appealing for its audience. A festive addition to holiday shelves. ((Reviewed Feb. 1, 1994))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1994, American Library Association.)