Author Eve Bunting is a Northern
Ireland-born American who has written a great variety of wonderful books for
young people. Says her publisher: “She never shies away from addressing
difficult issues, including racial prejudice, death, troubled families, and
war; at the same time, her work is infused with hope and beauty.” Bunting says
of herself that she grew up listening to the stories of shanachies (tellers of
old tales) and thinks, “Maybe I’m a bit of a shanachie myself.” St.
Patrick’s Day in the Morning is a contemporary but ageless story. Young
Jamie longs to march in his village’s St. Patrick’s Day parade wearing the
glorious green sashes that his father and older brothers do. But, they tell
him, he is too young to join the parade and certainly too small to climb up the
high hill. Undaunted, Jamie wakes before dawn, climbs Acorn Hill by himself,
proclaims “A happy St. Pat’s to you, sun” at the top, pipes on his flute the
whole way, and returns home before breakfast. His family never knows what he
has done, but Jamie knows in his heart that no one is too young to march in a
parade and give a hearty greeting for a good cause. Jan Brett’s lively illustrations
(black and white distinctively accented with yellow and green) capture
perfectly Jamie’s Irish village and his spirited adventure. Ages 4-7.
