A lyrically told and beautifully illustrated story of Ciaran, a kind, gentle hermit saint who connected with animals, a precursor to 13th century St. Francis of Assisi. Badger, Deer, Hawk, Dove, Boar, Fox, and Wolf were his first brothers and sisters. Ciaran was encouraged by Patrick in Rome and ordained a bishop around 538, but returned to Ireland to live as a hermit among the animals, attracting people to his hermitage at the spring of Saighir in County Offaly, where a church was later built. In the Author's Note, Mr. Schmidt writes: Of all green Ireland's saints, Ciaran of Saighir was the first. ( )

I understand that there are no less than twenty-five St. Ciarans in the Irish tradition, although previous to this book, the only one with which I was familiar was the Saint Ciaran who founded the abbey at Clonmacnoise. This lovely picture book however, presents a legend related to the first Saint Ciaran, Ciarán of Saighir.

Little is known of the historical Ciaran, other than that he was born on Cape Clear Island in the sixth century, and that he is believed to be the first Christian bishop to reach Ireland (sent by St. Patrick, who was to follow him). Schmidt's book is less of a picture-biography than a folk-legend, particularly as it concerns Ciaran's relationship with the animals who flocked to his hermitage.

The writing is competent, with an occasional turn of phrase that is worthy of remembrance. I did spot a few anachronisms, as when the narrative refers to Ciaran's hermitage crumbling, as "stones fell from their mortared places." Hard to imagine, when all the early monastic buildings were dry-stone construction, something that is accurately depicted in the illustrations. Still, these are minor flaws in an otherwise engaging story. ( )