The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Balian, Lorna

Leprechauns Never Lie

32 pp. | Star Bright | February, 2004 | Trade ISBN 1-932065-37-7 $$14.95
New ed. (1980, Abington)

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lorna Balian & Lecia Balian. Too lazy to perform the chores required to keep them warm and fed, a girl and her grandmother try to bully a leprechaun into revealing where he hid his treasure; he in turn tricks them into doing their work. The illustrations, which feature pleasantly traditional-looking art superimposed onto hyper-realistic backgrounds, detract from this otherwise satisfying tale of comeuppance.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann