Saint Patrick the Forgiver by Ned Bustard tells the story of Saint Patrick. I enjoyed reading this book and learned new facts about Saint Patrick that I’ve never knew about, I just wish there were more facts because I wanted to learn more. The pictures accented the book well. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. My review is also on Goodreads.

This is a good Christian based book on the life of Saint Patrick. This gives a good summary of his life and what he accomplished in his life. The illustrations are colorful and eye catching for young kids.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I have not been by anyone.

This would make a nice gift for someone with Irish Ancestry.
The illustrations are amazing. However it is not a book I would particularly choose to read or look at regularly. If Irish, I may pull it out once or twice a year.

Retold and illustrated by Ned Bustard, this book is a wonderful introduction to forgiveness, missional faith, and the life of St. Patrick.

Reading Level: Easy (Grades 1+)
This book is written for young readers as a wonderful exploration of the life of St. Patrick. While it is easily understood by younger audiences, some of the words may be difficult for young readers to pronounce without help – as it employs the Celtic lilt to the text.

Faith Engagement Level: Easy to Digest
This is a lovely engagement of difficult topics (slavery, forgiveness, etc.) and missional faith. It addresses these topics in a way that is sensitive to the age of the readers, without sanitizing the story of a life of faith and difficulty.

Reader Age Recommended: Ages 3+
Content references some *difficult* aspects of history, but does so in a meaningful and age appropriate way.

Why should I choose this book for the children in my life?
If you are looking for a solid introduction to the missional faith of St. Patrick, or simply a great book to share with kids and new readers, this is a wonderful option. The art is visually stimulating, and rich in iconography – reflecting the images that we often associate with St. Patrick and his mission field. The book may be a bit complex for the youngest readers to fully engage, but it has distinct movements in the story that could easily extend the tale over a few bedtimes. It is not a long or difficult read, but it covers a great deal of material.
As a note, the book even addresses the ‘wives tales’ associated with the life and ministry of St. Patrick – such as his driving out of snakes, and the giant who was baptized. It does so in a way that shows the whimsy of these stories, while acknowledging that these were not likely the truth. Given the more serious nature of the book, these silly additions are a welcomed break point for little readers.
One final note is that this book concludes with a note from the author that includes suggestions for discussion – making a wonderful opportunity for this book to be used in a children’s lesson for churches, families, or faith-based education experiences.

What will this book challenge kids to do?
This book introduces kids to theological terms in a simple way – challenging them to engage with these words and concepts within other areas of life. A few of the concepts introduced are: Trinity, mission, paganism, baptism, and grace.

Forgiveness is the main theme of the book. Readers are challenged to wrestle through the idea of being taken away from home – and then forgiving those who have harmed you. St. Patrick’s call to serve Ireland was not as simple as we may believe, but is rooted in his trust of God and forgiveness of others.

☘️ A perfect family read for St. Patrick’s Day! ☘️
As a homeschooling mom of six I am always looking for more resources. This book is such a fun and informative read about Saint Patrick!
In years past, I have played different videos to teach my kids about the real history behind St. Patrick’s Day, but this lyrical book will be a new go-to. It is written in a fun, rhyming manner with cute Celtic inspired illustrations that my kids thoroughly enjoyed. It includes more information on Saint Patrick than I had previously known, like some amusing legends about him. I also really appreciate the couple of discussion questions at the end to bring up and talk about the important topic of forgiveness.

Definitely grab a copy of this children’s book for your family or a kiddo in your life in time for St. Patrick’s Day! ☘️

The illustrations in this children's book were incredible - unique and vibrant. I didn't know a whole ton about St. Patrick before reading this book, and I feel like this is a great birds-eye overview of his life. I think it would be helpful to read the author's note first to get an idea about what happens in his life. I lost some of the threads while reading the couplets but it all made sense after I read more biographical information that the author supplies.

Saint Patrick the Forgiver is a story told in rhyming verse for children and adults alike who may only know the version of the saint from popular culture. I read the book to my son (4 years old) before bed, and he found it engaging.

It turns out that there is much about Patrick's life, especially before he traveled across Ireland spreading the gospel, that I was not aware of. The illustrations are simple, but reminiscent of both woodcuts and stained glass windows, making for an attractive counterpart to the words of the story. My son asked what was going on in the illustrations each time we turned the page. The text consists of clever and lyrical rhymes that tell the story of Patrick's youth, some of the hardships he endured, his salvation, and then his answering the call to spread the word of god and forgive those who had done evil things.

The rhymes and colorful illustrations will keep my children coming back to this story, while what I learned about Saint Patrick has made me curious to read more about his life, both the legends and the facts (the authors note at the end helpfully provides some recommended further reading).

This story was also a great prompt to talk about what forgiveness is and why it is important, a very tricky topic for children (and not always easy for adults).

Note: I received early access to a digital copy of this book in hopes of a review through NetGalley

This children's book is a simple retelling of St Patrick's life as we told by Ned Bustard.

The illustrations are vibrant and full of light and life. I found them very engaging and filled with beauty.

The poetry of the words is well done. I liked how the storyteller acknowledged the legends and filled in facts that are less known.

Over and over At Patrick's passion and purpose shine through: forgiveness and love to all, even those who previously enslaved him.

Forgiveness is a gift.

Well worth the read to help children to move beyond leprechauns and wearing green!

The best part of this book was the lovely and colorful wood cut style drawings. The book is written in a rhyming format and tells the story of St. Patrick and his life in England and Ireland. The book is not intended to be a religious one, but instead relates the life of this man and the many legends associated with him. This book woud be a good one to be shared between parents or teachers and kids.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I think it's very hard to write a rhyming picture book that doesn't feel forced. Bustard tries, with uneven results. I do love the illustrations which are in a cartoonish, Celtic style, and I also like his focus on forgiveness. I still prefer Tomie de Paola's classic, "Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland" but this does fill a gap for picture book readers.

Celebrate Saint Patrick's Day with a story of Ireland's greatest bishop. This short illustrated book combines words from Patrick's Confessions and several legends about the saint. It's an entertaining and educational book for children and adults.
The forgiveness theme comes more into play through the author's note at the end. The story itself doesn't emphasize this point but rather tells of Patrick's captivity, escape, return to Ireland, and ministry.
I really appreciated the linocut artwork illustrations. They incorporate vibrant colors, Celtic symbols and cute animals.

What a lovely little biographer of St. Patrick! I never knew much about this real man, only the holiday, so I was pleased to read this. I love how the author touches on the myths and legends that have sprung up around this saint. And it's also interesting to know that he isn't actually Irish but went back there after escaping.

One more thing. I liked how the words and cadence of the text have an old world feel to them. Very fitting for someone who lived so many, many years ago!

Once again Ned Bustard does a fantastic job of weaving scripture, legend, and the story of God's redemption working in the Saints. I love the story of Saint Patrick told with a wonderful rhyming cadence and creative illustrations clearly drawn from an "icon" view. The story is wonderfully told and there is an additional page in the back for parents to read that gives greater context for parents to have discussions with their children. I will definitely be purchasing this for my family to pull out in the month of March.

I was gifted an ARC by NetGalley and IVP in exchange for an honest review.

This originally appeared in Grandpappy's Corner at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S SAINT PATRICK THE FORGIVER ABOUT?
Drawing on both legends about him and Patrick's Confessions, this book tells the life story of Patrick of Ireland for the youngest set.

It starts off with his childhood and touches briefly on his period of slavery before moving into his return home and the call to Ireland. It doesn't gloss over the hard parts of his life, but it doesn't dwell on them, either. The focus is on Patrick forgiving those who wronged him, spreading the gospel—and even teaching the Trinity via the shamrock.

The book even covers some of the myths that arose around Patrick—baptizing a giant, driving out the snakes, etc.—working that in seamlessly with the book and not distracting from the main point.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ART FOR A MINUTE
This art is great—it's friendly and cartoonish, with great colors and details. Bustard also weaves in traditional Celtic knots and Christian art (like elements seen in The Book of Kells, etc.). So we've got a pretty modern feel with a lot of Irish elements thrown in to ground it in Patrick's history.

Are kids going to get that? Nope. Will the adults reading it with/to the kids? Quite likely. And if not, I think they'll still appreciate it the art, even if they're not familiar with the influences Bustard is drawing from.

Click here for a two page sample (picture and text) on the Publisher's site. I'm not sure it's the image I'd have used, but it's representative.

HOW IS IT TO READ ALOUD?
It's pretty fun—the rhythm is easy and the rhymes are nice (and only one or two of them seemed like stretching things to make the rhyme).

The Grandcritter isn't around yet to listen to me read this, but I still read most of it aloud just to see how it went—I think it went pretty smoothly and I could have some fun with it.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT SAINT PATRICK THE FORGIVER?
This was a great way to give an age-appropriate lesson in forgiveness while telling the story of one of the heroes of the faith. I was entertained, and even chuckled a couple of times.

It's a great combination of story, art, rhyme, and lesson. I can see this winning over little audiences as much as it did me. Hopefully, it'll lodge in their minds enough that they'll want to learn more about Patrick as they grow older and through him the Three-in-One that Patrick spent his life teaching about.

I strongly recommend this quick little read.

I adored Ned Bustard’s Saint Nicholas book (church history in rhyme? Yes please!) and this one is a worthy sequel. While the words used wouldn’t stick with a very small child, a book like this will make church history and the story of Saint Patrick tangible for children ages 9+ … and could even help teach us adults too!! The illustrations are vibrant and fun too, and I adored the small ode to St. Patrick’s infamous prayer on the last page. Bravo!

I’m not Catholic, but then St. Patrick was never officially canonized as a saint either. I didn’t know much about St. Patrick, and what I did know was probably false. I appreciate that this book not only sheds light on a legendary figure’s true history, but does it in a way that kids can relate to, with simple, rhyming verse. I’ve never read anything by this author, nor have I seen his art before, but I did like the illustrations in the boo; they’re engaging and detailed. With a focus on Patrick first becoming a slave in Ireland and then later returning to preach the truth of the Gospel to them, it’s a great lesson on forgiveness. Specifically, Bustard explains clearly that true forgiveness, especially of one’s enemies, is only possible with Christ. I will never think of St. Patrick’s Day the same way again.

An interesting and informative book about St Patrick and how we came too celebrate St Patrick’s Day. I think it would be a great read would for an religious school or Sunday school class.

This was a fantastic story, but at the end, it says Saint Patrick was born in England. Since the actual birthplace is unknown (some people think Wales was his birthplace), I'd say Britain. As someone who grew up in the UK, I know how hurt Welsh people feel when they're described as English.
The rhyming and drawings were beautiful. Great for young Catholics and their parents!
5 stars if it says Britain.

I enjoyed the message presented in this book but the illustrations were not my preferred style in a children's book. I would have to look up many of the symbols when my children ask what they meant. While that would be a wonderful learning opportunity, I doubt many would care for that.

great read about saint patrick for kids. easy to understand with rhyming words and simple pictures. made my kids excited for st patricks day