Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland (Paperback)

~ Tomie dePaola (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of the prolific dePaola's heartfelt celebrations of religious themes will welcome this handsome picture-book biography. His signature style is well showcased here and, as he did in The Lady of Guadalupe , dePaola effectively integrates both the tones and design elements of (in this case) Celtic art into his renderings. As with his pictorial biography Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi , dePaola succeeds in placing a near-mythic religious figure within a historic context and successfully relates the familiar and not-so-familiar details of his life: Patrick was of British (although when it was a part of the Holy Roman Empire), not Celtic, ancestry; March 17 is the date of his death, not of his birth. Readers will particularly enjoy the addition of five legends about St. Patrick, including the snakes and the shamrock. This well-designed entry has perennial appeal. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 4-- For answering requests for information about St. Patrick, this is the ideal book to replace a page in the encyclopedia or a pictureless chapter in a musty old book of saints. The story opens with his kidnapping as a boy and youth as a slave in Ireland, and recounts his escape to his family in Britain, the inspiring vision that led him to return as Ireland's first bishop, and the spread of Christianity on the Emerald Isle under his leadership. dePaola's palette is dominated by earth and moss tones, and works to convey a distinctly Celtic flavor. An arresting use of space runs the gamut from double-page spreads to half-page illustrations. This constantly shifting balance of art and text adds action to the tale. The book concludes with a collection of one-page vignettes describing a few colorful legends about St. Patrick. This approach may give some readers pause as they try to distinguish between these legends and certain events in the body of the story that could also be considered legendary. Then again, this setup could be no more incongruous than the role that Patrick himself has come to play--that of folk hero and saint. This admirable picture-book offering will fill a gap in most collections. --Lisa S. Murphy, Dauphin County Library System, Harrisburg, PA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (February 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823410773
• ISBN-13: 978-0823410774
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #57,620 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Books > Children's Books > Religions > Christianity > Saints
  #12 in	Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Biographies > Religious
  #52 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > Irish

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars knowledge, good drawing and simple shapes make a joy to see., June 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland (Hardcover)

Tomie dePaola's Patrick, patron-saint of Ireland is a joy to read and see. The story is clear and simple, the drawings strong and cheerfull. Not many historians mention the Irish hounds on the the ship to France. Tomie dePaola does, with knowledge and artfull humor.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative & Fun!, January 12, 2003

By	"pcritchley" (Duluth- God's country) - See all my reviews

Growing up in an Irish Catholic family myself, I had heard a great deal about St. Patrick. When we received this book as a gift I started reading it to my children, and they loved it. There were stories even I hadn't heard about St. Pat! As with his St. Francis book, Tomie DePaola's book holds children's interest throughout the many stories while other books of this length lose children. Kids remember the stories and repeat them because they are told so lovingly and in such a fun way! I now bring this book to their school and read it to all their classrooms every St. Patrick's Day to let children know that there is more to Patrick than green beer!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn more about the Patron Saint of Ireland, October 30, 2002

By	Lisa M. Hendey "Lisa, CatholicMom.com Webmaster" (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

A wonderful book by Tomie dePaola filled with helpful information about the true story of St. Patrick's life, as well as fun legends attributed to the patron Saint of Ireland. dePaola's bold illustrations lend to the attraction of the book. He mentions at the end of the book his reasons for writing it and his attraction to Saint Patrick. My own eight year old son has a strong devotion to Saint Patrick and this book is among his favorites. I appreciate the clear differentiation between fact and legend in this book and would highly recommend it for any family.