A Boy Called Dewi - Patron Saint of Wales
Steffan Lloyd
Brett Breckon (Illustrator)
Pont Books
Gomer Press Limited
ISBN 1848511531
ISBN 9781848511538
This is one of a number of books I have read about Saint David of Wales, or Dewi Sant. Most of the books I was able to find were for young readers. This is one of two by Steffan Lloyd written about this saint, the other is A Miracle for David. It follows this volume. I was unaware of this one until after finishing this the other reading its back cover.
This is a short picture book on Saint David of Wales, or Sant David Dewi, it was originally published in 201o with the second volume following in 2011. A few years ago I read Dewi Sant: St David Patron of Wales, by J.B. Midgley which started my interest in this saint. And my son found out this is the patron saint of his school Saint David’s in Waterloo, Ontario so I decided to look for more books about him. This one was harder to track down and as such is the sixth volume about David I have read this year to that further study.
Description on the back of the book:
“When a young boy restores his blind teacher's sight, everyone says it's a miracle. But it's not the first strange event in Dewi's life and it certainly won't be the last...
From his birth on a storm-buffeted cliff to the healing of Paulinus, this is the story of the young Dewi Sant, patron saint of Wales.”
Even though this was a short picture book I highlighted a few passages while reading it. Some of them are:
“This story happened many years ago, not long after the last Roman soldier returned home from Britain.”
“When her baby was about to be born, Non was caught in the middle of a terrible storm on the clifftop at Caerfai. She was clinging to a rock when it was struck by a bolt of lightning. As the rock split in two, her baby was born, bathed in a sea of brilliant light. Capel Non (or Non's Chapel) was built in honour of Dewi's mother, and the ruins can still be visited today.”
“Although Dewi enjoyed learning new things, he liked nothing better than to be out in the fresh air, enjoying the wild and wonderful scenery near his seaside home.”
“This was a time when believing in God could be very dangerous. Irish and Anglo-Saxon attackers believed in different gods and saw nothing wrong in raiding churches for gold and treasure. Sometimes they killed the monks and set fire to the church buildings. These were difficult days for Christian believers.”
“Everyone agreed that it was a miracle that Paulinus could see again. It wasn't the first miracle in Dewi's young life and it certainly wouldn't be the last.”
“When he grew up, Dewi became an important bishop and built a monastery at
St Davids. Today it is the home of a cathedral which children visit when they come to Pembrokeshire on holiday. Dewi, or Saint David as he is often known, would have been so pleased to meet them!”
And like the other volume this one ends with this motto:
“Do the little things in Life.
Gwnewch y petau bychain.”
This was another fun read about this saint. I can easily recommend it for young readers. Nearly every other page is a full page illustration. And the drawings by Brett Breckon are well done. This story sticks to Saint David in his younger years. The two could easily be published together as a single volume. I am glad I went to the effort to track this down. It was another good book about Saint David for young readers. I can recommend the two volumes by Steffan for church, school, or home library. A good read that will challenge and inspire.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2023 Catholic Reading Plan!
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