And God Blessed the Irish: The Story of Patrick [Hardcover]

Chris Driscoll (Author), Susan Krikorian (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

And God Blessed the Irish tells the true history of St. Patrick, detailing his incredible life in a creatively written and exciting story. It is a captivating tale of adventure that entertains while it educates the reader. And God Blessed the Irish has a 3rd to 4th grade reading level and includes line-art illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A children's book to shared and enjoyed by parents and grandparents alike, And God Blessed the Irish is a treasure that allows the reader to walk in the shoes of St. Patrick. -- The Boston Pilot, March 13, 1998

A children's book with much wider appeal. Accented with charming, simple, cartoon-style illustrations, the book tells the story of St. Patrick, including legends and folklore about the saint along with his actual history. Although definitely geared towards children, And God Blessed the Irish can teach even adults. -- St. Anthony's Messenger, March 1998

A new children's book about the saint of Ireland that, I predict, everyone in the family will want to read. This special book made me fall in love with Patrick, the teen-ager who was dragged away from his home and family, and made a slave in Ireland, and who somehow let God's grace reshape him. -- Catholic News Service, March 9, 1998

A powerful and fascinating telling of Saint Patrick's life- the first in a series of saints' stories by an exciting new publisher whose motto is "Spirit et Veritas." -- Catholic Parent, March 1998

From the Publisher

And God Blessed the Irish is the first in the CHILDREN AND SAINTS series. God's Little Flower, the second book in the series is also written by Chris Driscoll. It is the story of St. Therese of Lisieux and will be available in October.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 79 pages
• Publisher: Ambassador Books Inc; 1st edition (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964643960
• ISBN-13: 978-0964643963
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,952,524 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Biographies > European
  • #86 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > Irish

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars St. Patrick vs. the Druids, March 20, 2008

By 

DONALD G. FOX "Santee Sioux" (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: And God Blessed the Irish: The Story of Patrick (Hardcover)

I have long been interested in the stories of Ireland and picked up this book for young people to hear another story about Saint Patrick and his ministry to the people of Ireland. In this book, while there are, on the one hand, some wonderful parts of Patrick's story as a child and young man which show his faith in God, there is, on the other hand, some disturbing imagery around the indigenous religions of Ireland and its adherents. On the second page of the story which introduces Patrick's kidnapping, the indigenous people of Ireland are described: "The wild people were fierce. They had their own religion which was not like Patrick's at all. They had magicians who did bad things. And they loved to fight and steal...they were very dangerous" In my opinion, that is very close to what has been said of Native Americans during the great missionary movements since the 1800s. Later on, in the fifth chapter, there are further desciptions of the Druids as a crafty, malicious, and conniving people who would like nothing better to do than kill Patrick so that they can continue to sacrifice children on the sacred mountains. While there are wonderful stories about Patrick, his great faith, his conversion to Christianity and his ministry to the people of Ireland, it is high time to teach children about Saint Patrick and his life without continuing the dark tradition of labeling all other indigenous and rival religions as bad, heretical, and dangerous.