Book Review: 'Too Many Leprechauns' by Stephen Krensky

✰✰✰✰ If you've ever wondered why there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, then this is the picture book for you and your little one. Returning home to Dingle after a long absence, Finn O'Finnegan notices that something seems to be a bit off. Leprechauns have taken over the town and no one can sleep. You see...the more fairy shoes the leprechauns make, the more gold they get. And so the tap-tap-tapping continues day and night.

Now everyone knows how crafty and stubborn leprechauns can be. It takes a smart person to outwit them, but Finn has some experience with leprechauns. Finn knows that in addition to being clever, leprechauns are also very prideful and sensitive. Fortunately for the town of Dingle, Finn has a plan, that with a little Irish luck, just may work. Will the leprechauns ever stop their "infernal tapping" or will the town of Dingle be stuck with them forever? Read Stephen Krensky's clever book and find out for yourself why there's a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow.

The Bottom Line: This is a fun tale for reading at St. Patrick's Day or any time of the year. Outwitting leprechauns is never an easy task; kids will enjoy Finn's patience and cleverness. Illustrator Dan Andreasen's charming oil paintings add wee a bit of whimsy that both kids and adults will enjoy. Recommended  springtime reading for kids ages 4 and up.

Details: Too Many Leprechauns: Or How That Pot o' Gold Got to the End of the Rainbow written by Stephen Krensky and illustrated by Dan Andreasen. Hardcover picture book published by Simon & Schuster Book for Young Readers in 2007. 32 p. ISBN: 978-0-689-85112-4