© 2009 Universal Press Syndicate release dates: March 14-20 11-1 (09) from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate Go dot to dot and color this symbol of Ireland. Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page ® . St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland. It celebrates one of that country’s special saints. It is not a national holiday in the United States, but many Americans celebrate anyway. Even people who have no Irish ancestors like to pretend they’re Irish for a day! St. Patrick St. Patrick was a missionary in Ireland during the fifth century. He was taken there as a slave when he was a teenager. After he returned to his home in Britain, he believed he was called to go back to Ireland and spread Christianity. Irish folklore Ireland is famous for its folklore, or traditional stories that are passed down from generation to generation. A favorite symbol of Ireland is the leprechaun. To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, The Mini Page found out more about this crafty little fairy. Meet a leprechaun A leprechaun is a mysterious or magical being. According to Irish legend, leprechauns live in the countryside with humans. But they’re rarely seen by people. Most pictures of leprechauns show jolly little elves with pink cheeks and smiles. You might see these on items for sale around St. Patrick’s Day, or on cereal boxes. Folklore experts say leprechauns are indeed small, but their clothing is usually untidy and old. They might wear an old blue or green coat, short pants, woolen stockings and a wide- brimmed hat or stocking cap. Instead of being happy, leprechauns are more likely to play tricks on humans. In fact, Irish people used to leave milk, cheese, bread or other foods on their doorsteps at night to keep the local leprechaun from making mischief, or trouble, at the home. Leprechauns are also thought to be miserly, or greedy for money. They make their homes in abandoned barns or churches, or in the woods or in caves. Leprechauns at work Leprechauns are thought to be shoemakers. They make and repair shoes for other fairies, who wear out their shoes quickly with all the dancing they do. They make only one shoe at a time. Some people believe that you can tell when you’re close to a leprechaun’s home because you can hear the tapping of his little hammer as he works on shoes. Other legends tell of leprechauns being builders and stonemasons, metalworkers and even bankers. Leprechauns also love music and can remember old tunes that have been forgotten by humans. They like to play the harp, fiddle and Irish pipes. Humans and leprechauns Parents may tell their children not to speak to leprechauns; otherwise the children might be caught in the fairy’s magical power. But leprechauns aren’t naturally mean. Legend says that when the Vikings left Ireland, they left some of their buried treasure behind. The leprechauns decided to keep it so humans wouldn’t fight over it. With their tricks, leprechauns try to teach valuable lessons. St. Patrick’s Day Is March 17 Looking for a Leprechaun from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate The Republic of Ireland is an island country in Europe. It shares the island with Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. Ireland is also known as the Emerald Isle because of its lush green hills and fields. A long history Experts believe Ireland has been inhabited by people for more than 8,000 years. Many of the traditions that are still honored in Ireland began with some of these early people. The Irish flag Ireland’s flag is known as the tricolor. The three colors are symbols of Catholic Ireland (the green), Protestant Ireland (the orange), and the peace to exist between them (the white). Some people think this flag represents the whole island. It might be seen flying in Northern Ireland as well as in the Republic of Ireland. Natural features of Ireland Ireland has mountains, lowlands, or valleys, and coastlines. Along the west coast lie steep, high rock faces called the Cliffs of Moher. The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland. The Blarney Stone Have you ever heard someone say “Oh, that’s just a lot of blarney”? The Blarney Stone is an actual stone built into a castle tower near Cork, Ireland. The legend says that if you kiss the stone, you’ll become a clever speaker, maybe convincing your listeners that whatever you say is true. The Celtic harp In the 1500s, King Henry VIII added the image of a harp to the currency, or money, of Ireland. Since then, the Celtic harp has been a symbol of that country. Today, all Irish currency has the Celtic harp on it. “Eire” (AIR-uh) is the Irish word for “Ireland.” “Erin go bragh!” You may see this sentence on posters or T-shirts near St. Patrick’s Day. It is in the Gaelic language, and it means “Ireland forever!” It is pronouced AIR-in guh BRAH. Other Irish Symbols Mini Spy . . . from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate Mini Spy and Basset Brown are trying to catch a leprechaun! See if you can find: • Loch Ness monster • word MINI • number 6 • fox • frog • acorn • knife • letter Z • exclamation mark • spoon • bowl • carrot • letter Y • dolphin • ice cream cone • tin can TM Words that remind us of leprechauns and Ireland are hidden in the block below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some lettersare used twice. See if you can find: SAINT, PATRICK, IRELAND, HARP, FAIRY, FOLKLORE, MISSIONARY, SHAMROCK, LEPRECHAUN, MISCHIEF, IRISH, SHOEMAKER, MUSIC, GOLD, COINS, EUROPE, BLARNEY, CLIFFS, LESSONS, SHANNON. Leprechauns TRY ’N FIND KICK UP YOUR HEELS ON ST. PATTY’S DAY! F E I H CS I MX C L I F F S OK C I R T A P T D L OG H J L Y E N RA L BQ NWB A A I K C O RMA H S C O I N S R Z L E S S ON S V G K N A I P C O F A I RY R A N O I S S I M R X H I R E L A N D HQ S V J E KM L E P R E C H A U N GW E P O R UE R E K A ME O H S from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate Basset Brown The News Hound’s TM Rookie Cookie’s Recipe Easy Tomato Salsa from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate Meet Emily Osment Emily Osment stars as Melissa Hamilton in the Disney Channel movie “Dadnapped.” She is best known for her role as Lilly Truscott in the Disney Channel series “Hannah Montana.” Emily began acting in commercials when she was 5 years old. She has appeared in several movies, including “Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams” and “Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over,” and the television movie “Sarah Plain and Tall:Winter’s End.” She has also been the voice for characters in animated features such as “Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch.” Emily, 17, was born in Los Angeles. Her father, Eugene, and her brother, Haley Joel, are also actors. She loves to sing, read, snowboard, play guitar, write songs and hang out with friends. She has two golden retrievers,Tor and Nado; a teacup poodle, Luna; a lizard, Pete; and a box turtle, Tuck. from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate TM TM You’ll need: • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes • 2 cups roughly chopped cilantro • Juice from 1 lime • 1/2 medium onion, chopped (optional) • 1 medium jalapeño pepper, chopped and seeds removed (optional) • Tortilla chips What to do: 1. Place all ingredients (except chips) in a blender. 2. Blend until well-mixed. 3. Chill and serve with tortilla chips. You will need an adult’s help with this recipe. Barney: What did the scissors say to the barber? Bob: “It won’t be long now!” Bill: What did the conductor say to the barber? Barb: “Take it from the top!” Ben: How do you find the missing barber? Beverly: Comb the city! All the following jokes have something in common. Can you guess the common theme or category? from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate The pot of gold Leprechauns are experts at hiding their treasure. But to their dismay, rainbows sometimes give away their hiding places. Human beings can tell where a leprechaun’s treasure is hidden by following a rainbow to its end. A lesson of generosity A poor boy was headed to market one day. He saw a leprechaun and caught it. The boy made the fairy take him to his fort, which was filled with silver and gold coins. The leprechaun saw that the boy was kind, so he let the boy take as much treasure as he wanted. The boy took the treasure to a bank, where with interest it grew into a fortune. The boy’s family are still very rich today, but they are generous and kind, always giving to the poor. Magical coins A leprechaun will promise great wealth to a person who catches him if he’s allowed to go free. He carries two leather pouches. One contains a silver shilling. This coin reappears in his pouch each time it is paid out. The other pouch holds a gold coin, which the leprechaun uses to try and bribe his way out of difficult situations. This coin may turn to leaves or ashes as soon as he gives it away. Leprechaun Legends Keep an eye on him! If you are able to catch a leprechaun, you must not take your eyes off him for even a second, or he will disappear.You must hang on tight to him and keep focused on him. One legend tells of a man who caught a leprechaun and demanded to know where the fairy had buried his gold. The leprechaun took the man to a small group of trees and pointed out one tree, where he said the treasure was buried. The man tied a piece of cloth around a branch of the tree so that he could remember which one it was. Then he ran to get his tools. When he returned, the leprechaun had tied identical cloths around a branch of each tree in the grove! The Mini Page Staff Betty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate Supersport: James Harrison Height: 6-0 Born: 5-4-78 Weight: 242 Hometown: Akron, Ohio Touchdown runs aren’t James Harrison’s specialty. He’s the Pittsburgh Steelers’ hard-hitting linebacker and The Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year who stops opponents from scoring touchdowns. Yet Harrison might be remembered most for his record-breaking 100-yard TD run in this year’s Super Bowl. After intercepting a pass on his own goal line, he turned into an offensive star,rumbling all the way down the field to give the Steelers an edge over Arizona. The play, regarded as the game-changer, helped propel Pittsburgh toward its sixth Super Bowl title. It will be shown on highlight tapes for decades. There was a time when achieving something super in a Super Bowl appeared to be the last thing Harrison would do. Despite a standout career at Kent State University, he didn’t get drafted but did sign as a free agent. He spent his first four seasons as a reserve, finally getting a chance to start in 2008. Harrison made the most of his opportunity.He recorded a team-high 16 sacks in the regular season and led the NFL in forced fumbles with seven. That’s what a defensive player of the year does. But every now and then, he also might run for a game-swinging touchdown. TM One of the legends about St. Patrick is that he used the shamrock, or a clover-like plant, to explain the holy trinity to people. Illustration by Jean-noël Lafargue Image © General Mills Inc. The Mini Page thanks Brian McFadden, associate professor of English, Texas Tech University, for help with this issue. Image courtesy European Central Bank The Cliffs of Moher photo courtesy Cliffs of Moher Visitors’ Centre Dublin Ireland Northern Ireland England Scotland Wales Next week, The Mini Page celebrates Women’s History Month. photo by Michael F. Fabus, courtesy Pittsburgh Steelers