Author: Elise Daniel of St. Francis de Sales Church in Purcellville.
She is an author, entrepreneur and the head of publishing at Bellwether Communications, where she was the collaborative writer for Dr. John Bruchalski’s memoir “Two Patients: My Conversion from Abortion to Life-Affirming Medicine” (Ignatius Press, 2022).
Synopsis: Discover the true spirit of St. Patrick’s Day with this redemptive and heartwarming tale about a greedy leprechaun and one of Ireland’s greatest missionaries. Finnius desires only one thing in life: to be the richest leprechaun in Ireland. He spends his days pickpocketing at the village market to fill his pot of gold, until, one day, his crooked ways catch up with him. After a surprising encounter with a praying traveler, Finnius discovers riches of a different kind.
Why did you write this book?
I wrote this book because I love celebrating holidays and feast days with my children by reading fun, holiday-themed books with them. But I’ve noticed a big divide between secular folklore and sacred tradition in the children’s book market, especially when it comes to holiday-themed books. We must often choose between stories about the Easter Bunny or the Resurrection, Santa or the Nativity, and leprechauns or St. Patrick.
This divide was evident to me last March when I checked out St. Patrick’s Day books from the library for my kids. We ended up with two stacks of books: one about leprechauns and pots of gold, and one about the history of St. Patrick.
Most of the children’s books marketed for St. Patrick’s Day either have nothing to do with St. Patrick or simply summarize his life story. That’s why I wanted to write a new kind of St. Patrick’s Day story: one that pulls in fun and whimsical elements from the fairy tales my kids love, but also teaches them about the real St. Patrick.
My oldest son, Kolbe, 6, inspired the story because he loves celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. I teach him about the historical St. Patrick who was captured by pirates and later becomes one of Ireland’s greatest missionaries. “The Richest Leprechaun” is about reclaiming the true meaning of St. Patrick’s Day for the secular culture, and, for Catholics, it’s about adding a whimsical and creative story to the collection of children’s books about St. Patrick. It’s a playful, fictional story, but it’s grounded in truth.
The book was also inspired by an Easter book titled “Easter Bunny’s Amazing Day.” It weaves the secularized image of the Easter Bunny into the story of the Resurrection.
What’s something else the average Catholic in the pew should know about it?
This book is intended to teach children about St. Patrick’s life, from his experience in captivity as a young man to his missionary work in Ireland; to allow children to experience God’s love through St. Patrick’s witness and Finn’s character transformation; to inspire courage through St. Patrick’s example as a great evangelist; to normalize Christian tradition and truth in fairy tales; and to inspire moral imagination through a fun and whimsical fairy tale that both children and parents enjoy reading together.
How can people buy a copy?
People can secure a copy at bit.ly/3UG0G0C through Feb. 24. Copies will also be available for purchase at two in-person events: March 2 at 10 a.m. at the Catholic Information Center in Washington and March 15 at 10:30 a.m. at the Paschal Lamb in Fairfax. I plan to have the book for sale on Amazon eventually. For now, people can connect with me on Instagram at @elisedanielauthor or email me at [email protected].
