This Friday is St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick was a real person with a beautiful conversion story. He was abducted from his home as a young boy and forced into slavery. God gave him a vision that helped him escape slavery and return to his home. He committed his life to serve the Lord and felt a powerful call to return to the people who enslaved him and share the gospel with them.
His story of redemption and forgiveness is so powerful. I loved sharing it with my children. And one of my favorite ways to share his story with them was to read books about him. There are so many books on St. Patrick, but many avoid the powerful story of his how God moved in his life. Here are some of my favorites that do such a good job of telling the real story of St. Patrick.
I love Ned Bustard's books! First of all, his linocut illustrations are so unique and beautiful. Secondly, I love how the book tells all about who St. Patrick really was and emphasizes his remarkable story of love and forgiveness. Your kids will love this book!
Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland by Tomie dePaola
If you have seen any of my other book recommendations, then you know that I love anything that Tomie dePaola writes. Like Bustard, his illustrations are so unique and whimsical and he always gives a faithful Christian account of the saint. In this book, dePaola recounts the life of St. Patrick from his noble birth in Britain to his captivity in Ireland, to the visions which led him to return and found the first Christian church in Ireland. It's a perfect introduction to St. Patrick and his conversion.
Patrick and the Fire: A Legend About Sai by Cornelia Bilinsky
This is an unusual telling of St. Patrick in that it is told from the perspective of a young goatherd named Bevan. Bevan is excited about the annual festival bonfire celebrating the god of light. But when a stranger named Patrick appears, Bevan learns about one God in three persons instead. It's a great book emphasizing the work that Patrick did in spreading the gospel to the Irish.
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