Everyone's Irish! Happy St. Patrick's Day, Curious George by Cynthia Platt

TOP O' THE MORNING, GEORGE!
IT'S TIME TO ROMP AND PLAY
WITH A PARTY, DANCING, AND PARADE
EVERYONE'S IRISH TODAY!

LITTLE MONKEY TOP HAT,
FANCY GREEN PLAID VEST.
GEORGE PICKS OUT HIS FINEST
SO THAT HE'LL LOOK HIS BEST.

It's the day for the "wearin' o' the green," and George is all decked out properly for St. Paddy's Day. But--look! The Man with the Yellow Hat is wearing his usual all-yellow outfit! What a party pooper. And not even green eggs and ham for breakfast!

Oh, well.  George heads out to the park for the festivities.  He joins some kids at the craft table and cuts out some shamrocks.  Then he moves on to the hunt for the leprechaun's golden coins--the chocolate kind. George bags a bagful and then catches the strain of some lively fiddle and pipes playing.  Some girls in fancy green dresses and bouncy curls are dancing, and George can't resist trying Irish dancing!

GEORGE JUMPS IN
WITH A GRIN.
MONKEY TOES
A-TAPPING.

George spots something special as he taps in the green grass--a four-leafed clover.  It must be the luck of the Irish, for sure.

Then George smells something good and moves on to a table piled high with Irish dishes and bright green punch.  George reaches up and up and oops! The punch bowl totters, tips, and falls--kersplash, just as the the Man with the Yellow Hat comes up to join George.

OH, NO! OH, MY! WHAT HAS HE DONE?
GEORGE JUMPS UP TO CLEAN.
HE SMILES AT HIS GOOD FRIEND AND SEES
AT LAST HE'S WEARING GREEN!

Begorra! With his total outfit splashed with emerald-hued punch, the Man With the Yellow Hat is now wearing green just in time to join the St. Patrick's Day Parade with George, in Happy St. Patrick's Day, Curious George tabbed board book (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014). In this latest holiday adventure, George takes preschoolers along on a tour of St. Patrick's Day-themed fun. With jolly quatrains by Cynthia Platt and plenty of green in the illustrations by Mary O'Keefe Young, H.A. Rey's classic character shows youngsters how to celebrate all the Irish-themed festivities (conveniently tabbed) of St. Patrick's Day.

For a truly green storytime, pair this one with Natasha Wing's The Night Before St. Patrick's Day (see my review here).