As a historian, I am familiar with the life of Saint Patrick, but this beautiful picture book written in rhyme presents Patrick in a novel way for both children and adults.

The line cut illustrations in brilliant colors combined with the rhymes that are fun to read and roll off the tongue compel readers to revisit the book and its lessons. Bustard integrates the larger-than-life legends about Patrick, but lays bare his personal human struggles. How could he forgive the slave captors who had kidnapped him and obey God’s calling to voluntarily return to the site of his captivity? Children immediately realize his torment and feel how difficult it might be to forgive.

This book is a good choice for Christian parents seeking to explain the role of St. Patrick in Ireland’s history or for educators teaching about the St. Patrick holiday. It teaches them a valuable lesson about forgiveness.

Highly recommended for children of all ages and adults who enjoy reading a well-written rhyming picture book that educates the mind while pleasing the eye.

Bustard is really good at telling a simple story that boils down a subject's life story into its core elements, and then adding surprising little elements that make it richer than you'd expect from a short children's book. He writes a poem covering Patrick from life to death, but it's a poem with little recurring words that show a theme (in this case, forgiveness). He draws important scenes in Patrick's life, and then he adds little things (little Irish cultural symbols, character designs who remind you of stained glass paintings) that show he's giving multiple layers to the artwork.
Great fun, great work.

The illustrations make this book, some beautiful artwork that matches the poetry. The book is a series of poetic rhyming verses that will charm youngsters and uses language that is also charming to adults. A romanticised tale of Saint Patrick and his roaming following God’s call. Simple story telling that will please the under tens and quickly become a bedtime favourite.

This is beautifully written story of St. Patrick for students/youth. Not only is it inspired by actual writings of St. Patrick, but it addresses the legends as well. I was unfamiliar with Bustard before purchasing another author’s book that includes Bustard’s illustrations today. I also see that there is another book like this one on St. Nicholas. If this is a series, I look forward to the other books to come! A must have for young saints!

Hello, my name is Patrick.
You may have heard my story.
I walked the span of Ireland
to tell of God’s great glory.
And with a wee green shamrock
I shared of the Three-in-One:
our God―the blessed mystery―
Father, Spirit, and the Son.


Almost everyone has heard of St. Patrick's Day but know very little about the man who it is named after.

Actually Patrick was not even born in Ireland but in old Britain. He became one of the greatest bishops of Ireland in all of history. This retelling of his biography gathered from his words from his Confessions and a variety of legends showcases the interesting and significant life of the real man.

His story is one of forgiveness and true love as he shares and performed miracles all throughout Ireland. This fascinating rhyming story has beautiful signature linocut artwork that is stunning to behold. The targeted age group, 4-8 years, and adults too, will find this book not only informative but also enjoyable. The author has included a note to encourage further conversations about St. Patrick's life at the end of story.

"Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." -Ephesians 4:32

I love the book, especially the illustrations, and highly recommend it.


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Saint Patrick's story is truly inspirational. I first learned about his story through the Perspectives on Christian World Missions course, and was absolutely blown away by his story. I was excited to see a biography about him that is written for children. The story is very interesting and exciting, incorporating both the verified history of St. Patrick, as well as some of the myths and legends associated with him. I would love to read this to my children on St. Patrick's day to help remind them what his life was truly about.

Thank you NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Based on the writings of Saint Patrick himself, this precious children’s book talks about St. Patrick and his life. It’s the perfect read for a morning basket or unit study for St. Patrick’s Day!

Thank you NetGalley and InterVarsity Press for the opportunity to read and review this title.

A rhyming, faith-based look at the life of St Patrick. This story works well as a read-aloud, with a focus on St. Patrick's faith and choices to forgive and listen to God's call. This story would be a great read for any interested in St. Patrick's life as well as those looking for a more faith-based St. Patrick's Day story. The book also features Celtic-style illustrations and an author's note with additional information on St. Patrick.

This striking picture book tells the story of Saint Patrick in a way that will resonate with multiple age groups. School-age kids will get the most out of the story, since parts of it are too complex for younger kids to understand, but younger kids can appreciate the dynamic illustrations, which are created in a wood cut style inspired by Celtic art. They are striking against the light background of the pages, and are full of action and expression.

The book conveys the story of Saint Patrick with a focus on how his Christian faith motivated his powerful choice to forgive his enslavers and become a missionary to Ireland. The author writes in a well-defined, rhythmic rhyme scheme, and I am impressed with how well he communicated narrative details and theological truths in this form. The book never feels clunky, preachy, or forced, but flows well and weaves in truths about God that Saint Patrick believed and taught. The book also mentions various legends that appeared about Saint Patrick over time, but the author clearly distinguishes these legends from known biographical information.

This is an excellent choice for families who are interested in teaching their children about the origins of Saint Patrick's Day, and it can have year-round relevance for Christian families. This book's depth and complexity would also make it a strong addition to a library's holiday collection, since most St. Patrick's Day books tend to be very shallow and have little to no connection with the true historical figure. This is a refreshingly excellent book about the true story of Saint Patrick, and I highly recommend it.

Whimsical and fun, but carefully chosen words tell the story right and true. I've long admired Ned Bustard's illustrations, so to see them come to life with this poetic telling is a special gift. Very well done!!

Saint Patrick the Forgiver is a wonderful rhyming book about the story of Saint Patrick. It provides a thorough yet fun story about his life that makes this history available to a younger age group. I read this to my one year old and she loved it! I also learned about Saint Patrick’s life through reading the story to her. This book is perfect for families looking to incorporate more church history into their family culture in an easy and accessible way! I look forward to adding the physical copy to my child’s library.

With thanks to the author, publishers InterVarsity Press, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This is a fun book about St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland. As an Irishman myself, I was pleased to learn several facts about him that I was previously unaware of, while the use of rhyming verse to tell the story of both his early life and how he came to find religion and then spread the word of God makes the lessons very easily understood for younger readers.

I enjoyed the Celtic-style animations too, which captured the time period of the story very well and helped bring it to life.

This was really great! The story, the illustrations, the message pointing to Christ - such a great book I'd feel good about giving to children. I love that it addresses legend vs. what's likely true.

I am a huge fan of Ned Bustard and was overjoyed to see his newest on Saint Patrick within NetGalley. This will be an autobuy for me as I explain the Saints to my son.

The artwork is linocut and is gorgeous and the rhymes are so lovely. The rhymes are catchy, biblically sound, and filled with meaning and history. If you are liturgical in any way or believe in celebrating the Saints, Ned's book is a lovely addition to your child's picture book collection. I just cannot say enough good things about this book.

I received a free copy of, Saint Patrick the Forgiver, by Ned Bustard, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a lovely rhyming book about St. Patrick. Beautifully written.

Saint Patrick The Forgiver by Ned Bustard

All I can say is, “WOW!”

Enough cannot be said about Ted Bustard’s visually stunning Celtic wood block print style illustrations in his upcoming children’s book, Saint Patrick, the Forgiver.

Captivating in their bold detail, rich imagery engrosses attention, while the rhythmic cadence of the lyrical text engages interest… a true spinning of plates, which can be truly invaluable in inspiring the faith of young children.

This is the rare type of storybook which educates without force or dragging children through basic concepts of faith and can be shared with children of different age groups; the sumptuous art brings the details of the story of Saint Patrick to life, and I suspect smaller children will be less eager to turn the pages as they will be to point at the illustrated storyline and talk about what is happening within each illustration.

The story itself is written in rhyme, creating a soothing cadence while instilling the value of forgiveness and how God can turn evil to good.

I think that this book has a really great message about forgiveness and doing hard things. My only problem is that I don't think a children's book should mention slavery, as it is a very heavy topic for children to learn about. My favorite part of the book are the illustrations.

Thank you to NetGalley, and the Publisher for the eARC! This book is a good resource for upper elementary school kids who would like to know the history behind St. Patrick'

Saint Patrick The Forgiver by Ned Bustard tells the story of this Christian Saint, on whom Saint Patrick's Day is based. It focuses primarily on the Irish, and what would be considered Celtic Christianity. This children's book is told in rhyme, which makes learning about Saint Patrick fun and inviting for its audience. The book is well written, and I learnt a lot about a saint I didn't know much about before. The book is an easy read, but it manages to be an informative one. The rhymes are perfectly done, which is a hard thing to do, so amazing job Ned Bustard for that work. It is a very Christian forward book, so if you are looking for a book that is more secular in nature, this book is not for you. Overall, it's an excellent book and I would recommend to anyone who wants a good Christian children's book that is both fun and informative.