Three picture books that bring Irish saints to life for children

Irish saints have long captured young imaginations through legend, faith, and storytelling passed down through generations. These three richly illustrated picture books invite children, and the grownups reading alongside them, into the lives of Brigid, Modomnoc, and Rónán.

While my lads do enjoy reading heavy-hitting life stories, once in a while I like to give them some fodder for the imagination as they learn about Irish saints and traditions.

Through the years, they (and I) have enjoyed these picture books. Each features beautiful storytelling, illustrations that match and enhance the story’s tone, and an informational epilogue about the saint the story features. These books have helped us appreciate elements of the experience of Irish saints. They explore significant moments in the saints’ lives and the times in which they lived. They give us an eyewitness view of these saints not only growing in and teaching the faith, but also entering Irish legend and lore.

These saints, by acclimation rather than by canonization, and the authors and illustrators who masterfully tell their tales share with today’s children (and grownups) the best values and traditions of the Irish.

Consider checking these books out at your local library or finding them through a local or online bookseller.

"Brigid and the Butter: A Legend about Saint Brigid of Ireland"

Retold by Pamela Love

Illustrated by Apryl Stott

Pauline Books & Media, 2017

Ah, Saint Brigid. The patroness of Ireland, of poets, of chicken farmers!

In this charming retelling, we meet a young Brigid, freckles sprinkled across her face. She readily listens to the teachings of Bishop Patrick, and Pamela Love gives us the benefit of seeing Brigid’s thoughts and reflections, not only upon Patrick’s teachings about the Gospel, but also upon how she is challenged to live these out in her own day-to-day life.

The whimsical illustrations of Brigid showcase her thoughtfulness - her pensiveness coupled with action.

Hungry herself, Brigid is presented with an opportunity to share her hard-earned food with a stranger. Will she do it?

Spoiler alert: The end of this book always makes me tear up, in a good way!

I love how this book shares important messages about Brigid’s ability to do a small part to help others, advancing the Gospel message, and how it showcases the Irish virtue of hospitality.

Saints are pretty cool, even when they’re just wee ones who are looking forward to their dairy treat!

"The Saint and His Bees"

Written by Dessi Jackson

Illustrated by Claire Brandenburg

xist Publishing, 2013

Here’s a nice pan-Celtic tale! The bulk of this story takes place in Wales, where young Modomnoc (“Little Dominick”) has entered the monastery after crossing the sea from Ireland. In training to be a missionary, Modomnoc finds an unlikely audience for his evangelization: the unruly bees in the monastery garden!

While the Welsh monks fear these creatures, the young (foolish?) Modomnoc rushes in and relishes his role as beekeeper. Read this book to see what the bees do when Modomnoc’s time to return to mission work among the wild Irish comes. Have the bees prepared him for his new post?

The illustrations in this book are not particularly Celtic or Irish; there’s no ornament or flash, but the liveliness of the bees fittingly animates each page, and Modomnoc, with a shock of red locks, is shown as a sympathetic character. His ethos is in line with the teachings of Saint Patrick, whose love of God generously encompassed all of God’s Creation.

"Rónán and the Mermaid: A Tale of Old Ireland"

By Marianne McShane

Illustrated by Jordi Solano

Candlewick Press, 2020

Once you’ve heard the enchanting storytelling of seanchaí Marianne McShane, it’s difficult to read her writing without her voice echoing sweetly in your mind. I’m among the fortunate ones who have experienced her storytelling in person, and having done so has enabled me to read this book aloud with a degree of musicality (or so I flatter myself to think).

In truth, I think it would be difficult to read this aloud and NOT sound as though you were intoning the story as an ancient chant, passed down through the years but besprinkled with the lovely flourishes in languages that characterize the book.

The illustrations, a mix of close-up character studies and panoramic landscapes, are breathtaking, a beautiful complement to the literary artistry of this book. However, let’s not forget the story itself!

Shape-shifting components meld with mythological biography. The kindness of strangers (selkie, mermaid, monk), the power of music, and the life-giving nature of faith animate this tale; McShane’s retelling will appeal to today’s listeners who still seek magic and miracles in our everyday world.

* Maura Grace Harrington Logue earned her Ph.D. with a concentration in Irish literature at Drew University. She is co-editor of "The Irish-American Experience in New Jersey and Metropolitan New York: Cultural Identity, Hybridity, and Commemoration" (Lexington Books, 2013)

Harrington is also the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles on Irish literature and portrayals of the Irish in literature. She has taught English at the university level, and she is known professionally as The Graceful Grammarian; her communications consulting business bears this name. A lifelong resident of New Jersey, she has ambitions of inculcating in her young sons her love of their Irish heritage, but she is thwarted in these efforts by their enthusiasm and erudition far outpacing hers.

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