Saint Patrick the Forgiver by Ned Bustard

Written in rhyme, this picture book tells the story of “Saint” Patrick and some of the legends that have been told about him.

This rather brief picture book uses colorful language to paint a picture of Patrick’s life. Because of the brevity and the desire to be written in rhyme, the parts of his life that are facts can be a little bit muddled, but we get the overall story. The illustrations are light-hearted, slightly cartoony, and fun. The book ends on a strong note, “To every ear that hears me I preach Christ, and Christ alone: Christ above me, Christ within me, Christ on his golden throne.” Concerning the legends, the strangest one is that Patrick found a giant who was repentant and so Patrick baptized him. The illustration shows Patrick standing above the giant’s head sprinkling water from a shell on him.

Things to know:

-It reads, “In old Britain I was born and baptized as a child. My Pa was faithful to the church, but me, my heart ran wild.”
-When speaking of his conversion, Patrick says, “The holy Dove descended and gave me faith to see!”
-The last line of the book reads, “I’ll belong to Jesus for as long as I shall live!” While it’s clear the author is simply rhyming with the word “forgive,” it can be argued that Patrick would belong to Jesus for all eternity.

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