Saint Ciaran: The Tale of a Saint of Ireland [Hardcover]

Gary D. Schmidt (Author), Todd Doney (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up

Of all green Ireland's saints, Ciaran of Saighir was the first. Born early in the sixth century, Ciaran was called to bring the light of God's name to a dark Ireland that had not yet heard it. While few facts are known of Ciaran's life, author Gary Schmidt here tells the tale that lives on, a tale which is "as true as any story ought to be." Illustrated with luminous oil paintings by Todd Doney, Saint Ciaran is a remarkably beautiful story, full of faith and wonder, miracle and mysteries.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Profiling the sixth-century Saint Ciaran of Saighir, first saint of Ireland, Schmidt (The Blessing of the Lord) piles on more information and ideas than his picture book can hold. On the one hand, the whole of Ciaran's life story, as presented here, appears to be ideal subject matter--from the falling star his mother seemingly swallows before his birth, to the bell Saint Patrick gives him in Rome (it will peal only when Ciaran reaches "the flowing spring of Saighir"), to his fellowship with wild animals. But the individual components of the story demand more attention than Schmidt allots. The phrasing itself raises questions: the boy Ciaran prays "to a God whose name had never been heard in Ireland" and "to the God whose name he did not know." Ciaran is somehow drawn to Rome, but Schmidt stops short of stating that he is answering a calling; readers may wonder how or why "Ciaran's eyes looked to the east." While the mixture of legend, history and faith follows Irish tradition, most readers will be hard pressed to make sense of it. The presentation, however, is quite handsome. Doney's (Red Bird) slightly hazy oil paintings depict a rugged green countryside of unspoiled beauty. His use of bright and dappled sunlight and cool shadow gives depth to the scenes here. All ages. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 5-With muted tones and quiet words, this story tells the legend of Ciaran, the first Irish saint. Born years before Saint Patrick came to Ireland, he spent his youth praying to "the God whose name he did not know," and traveled to Rome as a young man. He returned to Ireland to build a hermitage at Saighir and was soon joined by a band of animals that followed him everywhere, even kneeling to pray with him. Eventually his hermitage became a monastery, as his name spread and more and more people traveled to see this holy man. While this saint's story is full of wonders (he was supposedly born from a star that flew down his mother's throat), Doney's stunning oils are the true marvels here. Suffused with light and brimming with color, these illustrations combine a sense of an unspoiled time gone by with one of utter immediacy. A gently moving tribute to a lesser-known saint.
Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, Eldersburg, MD
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (April 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802851703
• ISBN-13: 978-0802851703
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #788,619 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gary D. Schmidt is the author of the Newbery Honor and Printz Honor book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. His most recent novel is The Wednesday Wars. He is a professor of English at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful illustrations! Beautiful story!, January 18, 2011

By 

Rebecca Ann Taylor "Avid Gardener" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saint Ciaran: The Tale of a Saint of Ireland (Hardcover)

I bought this book because my parish is named in honor of St. Ciaran of Saighir and I'd never seen any other book written about him. I gave a copy to our school library and kept another for myself. I read it every March 5 on the Feast of St. Kieran. I think the illustrations and story are lovely!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars beautiful art, ok storyline, July 27, 2008

By 

A. Baldwin "bungakushoujo" (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saint Ciaran: The Tale of a Saint of Ireland (Hardcover)

I like this book because my son's name is Ciaran and it's fun to read to him since he has an unusual name for here in the US. The art is gorgeous and the pictures really tell the heart of the story. The actual prose story skips around a bit since it covers St. Ciaran's whole life. Though not stellar storytelling, the art make it worthwhile.

0 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Taking "less" from the word "GodLESS!", March 6, 2007

By 

Barbara Stienstra (Goshen, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saint Ciaran: The Tale of a Saint of Ireland (Hardcover)

Born in the early sixth century, this little-know saint was called to bring God's word to Godless Ireland.

(originally attempted to review this when the book first came out, but unfortunately the template did not "take.")