Lucky the leprechaun heads on new adventures with flower patch friends
Lucky the leprechaun is back, ready to teach young readers about acceptance, kindness and blessings.
鈥淟ucky鈥檚 New Adventure With Her Flower Patch Friends鈥� was written and illustrated by Fayette County residents Dana Krofcheck and DeeDee Valente.
A tad mischievous but never mean, Lucky spends time in the flower patch with friends like Ima Blessing (a honeybee) and Milo (a mouse). The book highlights the challenges some of those around us face, Krofcheck said, and helps those who don鈥檛 have challenges understand and accept those who do.
Ima Blessing, for example, can鈥檛 fly.
鈥淚 wanted to give voice to those who might not feel confident enough to be heard,鈥� Krofcheck said.
And Lucky, of course, is there to set a good example, always ready to lend a hand to her flower patch pals.
鈥淟ucky just wants to spread kindness. She wants to be loved and show love,鈥� Krofcheck said.
The book is the second about Lucky. The women self-published 鈥淟ucky鈥檚 Little Adventure: The Tale of a Magical Leprechaun Fairy鈥� in 2019, introducing young readers to the character Krofcheck made up when she was a daycare owner and preschool teacher in West Virginia.
In those roles, she wove tales of a leprechaun who was 1 inch tall and would come out before St. Patrick鈥檚 Day.
On March 17, Lucky would turn the classroom all around and leave the little ones treats, Krofcheck said.
While the leprechaun鈥檚 appearance was specific to the season, Krofcheck found that months later, the children would still imagine they saw Lucky. Over the years, the tales of Lucky kept growing.
She wrote the first book and convinced Valente, then her co-worker, to illustrate it.
鈥淚 just wanted to get the story out of my head and make people smile,鈥� Krofcheck said. 鈥淎nd I wanted to spread the message of kindness.鈥�
They collaborated a second time, both on writing and illustrating, during the pandemic. Creating something together helped them during those trying months; so did their faith, Krofcheck said.
鈥淚 think through the pandemic 鈥� we both just got closer to God. There wasn鈥檛 anything rock solid to lean on. We were always great women of faith but this brought us more true,鈥� she said.
That faith is also reflected in Lucky鈥檚 newest adventure.
鈥淚 think that kids can be introduced to God and know he鈥檚 kindness and love,鈥� Krofcheck said. 鈥淕od is tremendously in this book.鈥�
Now available on Amazon.com and at Neubauer鈥檚 Market House in Uniontown, the book is geared toward children 3 and up. The cost is $12.