In the time of the potato famine, young Fergus and his family had no choice but to leave Ireland. But first, Fergus cut a branch from a blackthorn tree so that he could take a piece of his country with him. On the long journey, he whittled the branch into a shillelagh, or walking stick. The shillelagh became part of a story Fergus told every St. Patrick¿s Day -- a story about coming to America. Throughout the years, one generation after another passed on the shillelagh and Fergus¿s story, adding their own life experiences, until at last, on this St. Patrick¿s Day, Kayleigh finds the family relic and listens to her grandfather share its history. He then places the shillelagh in Kayleigh¿s hands, making her the keeper of the family story.

Celebrates the art of storytelling. Illus.