Brigid's Cloak: An Ancient Irish Story

This beautifully-illustrated retelling of an ancient folktale concerning Saint Brigid of Kildare, one of Ireland's patron saints, contains a fascinating blend of Pagan Celtic and early Christian motifs. From the old Druid who gives the infant Brigid a beautiful blue cloak, and who speaks with a voice "wise and fierce and full of truth;" to the Holy Family in Bethlehem, who somehow seem to exist outside of time, and know Brigid for who she is (a "child of the West"); this story has just the right mixture of magic and spirituality to appeal to young readers, whatever their religious persuasion. The color illustrations by English artist Helen Cann are vibrant and appealing. I was pleased, moreover, to see the the explanatory notes in the show more back, giving some historical background to the story. show less

I probably wouldn't read this in a classroom setting, since it has religious elements, however, it is a lovely story with beautiful illustrations. I especially love how each page has a decorative border! It remains me of Jan Brett's illustrations in some ways.

I wasn't expecting this to be a religiously based folktale, and was not very impressed with the story because of this. It was well written and easy to follow, but definitely odd when Brigid somehow beamed to ancient Jerusalem from ancient Ireland. I would probably not find this useful in a classroom setting. Additionally, I found the illustrations to be a bit flat, and some of the facial expressions on the characters quite strange. The coloring of the artwork is lovely though, very subtle. I especially liked the different knotwork borders.

A wonderful tale to read during the holidays which tells the story of a girl's possible dream or maybe something more on that special night in Bethlehem. The illustrations were magical in their own right and the story was beautifully told.

I liked this book. I think it's good to tell Ancient stories, and I feel that I know nothing about Ireland and the Druids. I'm not sure why that whole area in skipped over in History. But the stories are very interesting and have a part to play. However, I might use this story more in Sunday School or the equivalent. I don't think I would want to deal with any backlash for offended parents.

A retelling of the legend of St. Brigid's birth and her mysterious blue cloak. Beautiful imagery portrays her birth and her vision of the Nativity. Celtic and Hebrew page borders add to the character of the paintings. A very appealing and wonderous legend.

Irish story of Saint Brigid and her cloak, blessed by a druid, and her transportation to Bethlehem. Historical fiction with beautiful illustrations. Talked about the druid's faith versus their Christian faith; interesting interaction, but I'm not sure if you can talk about that in public schools. Historical note in the back.