Mary McLean and the St. Patrick's Day Parade

In order to march with Mr. Finnigan in the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Mary must find a perfect shamrock in Manhattan in the middle of winter.

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- A St. Patrick's Day picture book that blends realism and folklore. Kroll accurately portrays the difficult life of the Irish immigrants who lived in lower Manhattan in the 1850s and spices this reality with a little Irish magic in the form of a visiting leprechaun. The well-paced and satisfying story focuses on Mary McLean, a girl of nine or so, who dreams of riding in New York City's St. Patrick's Day parade. She is promised this honor if she can find a perfect shamrock somewhere in the snow-covered city. Spurred by her need to lift herself out of the drabness of her daily life, she searches tirelessly, never letting go of her dream. Her quest appears hopeless until she meets a feisty leprechaun with a shamrock; but he tricks her, dashing her hopes. Mary's father comes home on the eve of the big parade and places the shamrock in his jubilant daughter's hands. While Kroll takes delight in presenting details of the period, Dooling appears to be more concerned with the universal aspects of the story. His richly colored oil paintings--"urban realistic" in style--use light and shade, angle and perspective to bring out the emotional tone of the tale. The pictures have a warm, personal quality and shy away from an elaboration of historical details of costume and setting. In spite of divergent approaches, text and illustration together provide a well-rounded experience containing both fact and feeling. Young readers and listeners will admire Mary's vision and determination and will find, as a bonus, that they have been pleasantly introduced to an important era in our history. --Carey Ayres, Port Washington Public Library, NY
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