“You’re My Little Lucky Charm” is a children’s book written by Nicola Edwards and illustrated by Natalie Marshall. The book is all about reminding the little ones in your life how much they are loved by the adults in their lives, whether it is a parent, family member, or other trusted adult figure.
The book is a board book, making it perfect for young
children who are susceptible to ripping book pages. This also allows the book
to be easily cleaned if it gets dirty. Some of the illustrations in the board
book are three-dimensional, adding a tactile element to the book.
The illustrations of the book are very bright and colorful.
This makes it fun for kids of all ages. It gives kids a chance to practice
their colors while also reading a book. Each set of pages has its own
consistent color scheme based on the illustrations.
There are cutouts in the book. Every other page reveals a
new element that connects to the previous page before the additional images are
revealed. This is a bit difficult to explain, but it is a cool aspect within
the book.
While this is not specifically a St. Patrick’s Day book, it
has references to Irish culture. One thing this book does well is the imagery
of the leprechaun. Many books, especially kids’ books, have illustrators depict
leprechauns as male and female. However, in Irish mythology, leprechauns are
always male. As great as female representation is, it is important that Irish
mythology is depicted correctly.
Most books pertaining to Irish culture or St. Patrick’s Day
often leave out fairies. There is a fairy depicted in this book, which is a
great way to bring in female representation while also representing another
aspect of Irish culture.
The only thing slightly “offensive” is the overall theme of
luck in the book while pertaining to Irish culture. Historically, the Irish
have not been the luckiest group of people. They have been through
discrimination, oppression, and more. The theme of the Irish being lucky came
when they found gold in the United States, which negated every struggle they
went through. This book does not come out and explicitly claim to be Irish, but
there are references to Irish mythology.
Overall, this book is a cute book that reminds young people
how much they are loved. While the hint at the offensive “Luck of the Irish”
trope echoes throughout the book, it still does a better job than most books at
representing various aspects of Irish mythology. This book is perfect for those
who love “You Shamrock My World.”