Description
Jump into the life of audacious St. Ignatius with this beautiful children’s book. Follow him through his conversion, the development of the Spiritual Exercises and the founding of the Society of Jesus.
Details:
- Age Range: 5 and up
- Hardcover: 28 pages
- Language: English
- ISBN-13: 978-0-692-18791-3
- Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.4 x 11 inches
Keith Maczkiewicz, SJ (verified owner) –
I am very impressed with ‘Audacious Ignatius’, and have ordered 6 copies (so far!) for my friends and family with children.
In simple rhyming quatrains and delightful illustrations, the authors manage to tell the story of our founder with great depth; the two pages on the Weeks of the Exercises are particularly well-conceived, as is the turn at the end to the experience of the reader.
I was describing the book to my Jesuit brothers and ran up to my room to grab a copy. The men smiled broadly as we took turns reading to each other; it was quite a sight!
Well done!
Rev. Keith Maczkiewicz, SJ
College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, MA
Carey Mitchell –
Do you know the story of St. Ignatius? I didn’t know much until I read brother and sister team Paul Mitchell & Katie Broussard’s new book, “Audacious Ignatius”.
Children and adults alike will enjoy this fun tale written about Ignatius of Loyola, a soldier who later became a saint. His early life was spent serving an earthly king until he met his king eternal.
The verses are crafted in the lively style of Dr. Seuss. This book makes for a fun, rhythmic read. Check this out…“His love of adventure was simply voracious. His life about town? Bodacious. Flirtatious. Such was the life of Audacious Ignatius.” I never knew so many words rhyme with AUDACIOUS!
The illustrations that accompany speak as clearly as the words. I especially love the pages that show Ignatius growing from experiencing “fear, worry, secrecy, and agitation,” to “faith, hope, love, and tranquility.”
“For if, like our hero, you learn how to pray, plans to live with deep love will come right your way.” Audacious Ignatius will provide a gentle reminder to both children and adults of God’s love and peace in our lives.
Beth LaBarge –
I love this book! I ordered four copies. One for a graduate professor, one for a baby gift, one for an elementary school principal, and one for my high school classroom. It is definitely a book for all ages. The illustrations and rhyme are perfect for younger readers, but it is not too simplistic for my high school students. I have read it out loud to both my freshman and senior classes, and all of my students were captivated by the story as well as the illustrations. I can’t wait to see the next project!
C. Robinson (verified owner) –
This book is a delightful read for the whole family! The rhymes and illustrations captivated and engaged my 5 year old, and the humorous telling of the story of Saint Ignatius appealed to my teenagers as well. We are going to gift copies to their high school theology teacher to read at the end of class to lighten the mood! Makes a wonderful gift for fans of the Jesuits of all ages. Well done Corde Press!
Lukas Laniauskas, SJ (verified owner) –
What a great book! I recently gifted this book to my nephew and nieces and they love it! They were fascinated with the story, the many figures and I do believe they caught the underlining encouragement to live a Saintly life. Thank you to the author and illustrator and to all who were involved in creating this great book!
Nicholas C. –
As more and more of my friends have children, I am asking myself what sort of gift would be appropriate for them. It’s not always easy to think of something with meaning, something that honors the depth of children’s hearts while also honoring their playfulness. If spirituality is a part of their family’s life, the list seems to narrow. I am grateful to the authors for providing a work that is colorful, engaging, funny, and beautiful to look at, while also capable of inspiring spiritual generosity, vision, “audacity.” I highly recommend it!
Sarah Miller –
This book is delightful, engaging, impressively constructed, and meaningful. As I watch friends having children, this is exactly the kind of book I want to give them and their kids as a gift to celebrate birth or sacrament reception in the church. There aren’t many titles out there that fuse engaging language and illustrations with meaningful spiritual and theological ideas that are digestible for kids and enjoyable for adults. It’s the perfect combination for a children’s book that aims to be more than pure entertainment. I sent them to high school theology teachers as a clever and fun way to introduce middle school students or high school students to poetry writing and the life of Ignatius. Our world needs brave, spiritually alive, and generous people, and our young people are the ones who will save us. The story of Ignatius can inspire them, and this book delivers that story in a way that appeals to both heart and head, something Ignatius himself would appreciate.
Alex Arkwright –
This book is original and creative, and rich with Catholic teaching. I cannot wait to read this book with the children in my community!
Jack Calcutt –
I am a father of 5. I read to my kids nearly every night Audacious Ignatious is a great children’s book based on three important criteria: plot, pictures, & length. The kids grab it off the bookshelf, ask for repeat reads and argue over the privilege of taking the book to bed afterwards. But what I love most about Audacious Ignatius is how it excites their imagination around a man inspired by the love of Jesus Christ and His saints. The book presents this giant of Christianity as a childhood hero. Inspiring awe for saintly heroes is a key ingredient in passing on our faith to children. I am so grateful Paul and Katie have added this volume to our library. I’ve recommended it to dozens of family & friends, and I would highly recommend it to you.
Beth Franzosa –
This book is such a wonderful addition to the world of religious books for children! I gave it to a friend for her 6-month-old, and she immediately said how happy she was to find a book that has both a good message about God and the rhymes that her child loves.
My favorite thing about this book is how the words and illustrations point so clearly to spiritual themes that children can understand. As Ignatius looks inside his heart, reflects on his emotions, and imagines the life of Jesus, parents and children can see how they can do the same thing today.
Rick Franzosa –
An amazing combination of a great religious story, playful “Dr. Suess-ian” text and wonderful illustrations. Well done Paul & Katie!
Drew –
What a joy it is to read a book like this! I found myself captivated toward the end, the part in the story of Ignatius’ life where he starts to build a community – a society – la companía! – of people committed to sharing the love of God with the world. It’s this Jesuit community years later of both lay and ordained people who live out Jesuit spirituality today that has been so formative for me. I love sharing it with my kids, with the hope that they too might be able to enter into that Jesuit spirituality and community.
Drew Reynolds –
I love this book! I was particularly struck by a page toward the end describing Ignatius’ intentionality in building a community – la companía, the society! – that became the Jesuit community I know and love today. I love sharing this book with my kids, with the hope that they too might come to know and participate in the same Jesuit community and spirituality that has been so formative for me in my own life.
Cassie –
Finally!!!
Why are well-written picture books about saints so hard to come by? Audacious Ignatius is appealing to a broad audience, kids and grown-ups alike. My husband and I both gave out copies to our spiritual directors who loved it just as much as our own children.
The illustrations are vivid and captivating and the story is inspiring.
I hope the author/illustrator team is preparing to write more saint biographies in the future. I would gladly welcome a saint-series!
Mary Ann Wilson –
What a delightful, touching, and theologically rich book this is! I am a mother to four young children and I am always looking for good – nay, great books about our Catholic faith to share with them. Audacious Ignatius is the kind of book I am always looking for, and so satisfied and grateful when I find! Paul Mitchell and Katie Mitchell Broussard have created a gem that introduces Ignatius’ life, communicates the depth of his prayer and mission, and joyfully invites reader to enter into Ignatius’ holy boldness. I highly recommend it and hope to see more books from this great author-illustrator team!
Beth M –
Wonderful book, which is engaging for both children and adults.
My children enjoy the beautiful pictures, which tell the story well. Though they are yet too young to read themselves, they talk through the book’s illustrations together. I love hearing them talk to each other about the story which is so clearly visually depicted. As a parent, I smile to hear them talking about prayer, as they look at the pictures of the book. This book is a great support for parents to talk to even small children about subjects of life, faith, and virtue.
As a parent, the book is easy-to-read aloud and has an enjoyable rhyming structure. The story is told well, simply and poignantly, drawing even adults to reflection on the message and life of Ignatius.
Rick K –
This book is fun to read aloud, and really interesting to our kiddos. They ask many questions: about the meaning of words, about what happened to Ignatius, about the saints. A great introduction to Jesuit spirituality for children and adults alike!
Jamie Kralovec –
What a helpful new resource for educators of all ages. I share the wisdom of St. Ignatius and the Jesuits with others for a living and it can be challenging to find the right balance of ideas and images when passing along the founding story of Ignatius. This book can serve as a starting point for any discussion of Ignatius’ contribution to the history of Christian spirituality. I recommend it as a teaching and formation resource!
Ana Alvarez –
Audacious Ignatius is a great way to introduce children to the life of St. Ignatius and Ignatian spirituality. The illustrations are colorful and the story is told in a way that will entertain both children and adults.
Fr. Paul J Shelton, SJ –
Paul Shelton
9:41 AM (2 minutes ago)
to Paul
My favorite children’s book in theology is The Clown of God by Tommy DiPaolo. DiPaolo does a masterful job through art and story of showing how a chance encounter with some Franscican friars inspire a travelling juggler to reevaluate his gifts. He sees that using his own gifts to make others happy actually makes God happy. Parents can sit with their children and ask them how they might use their gifts to make other people happy?
Simply put, The Clown of God is the standard by which I judge all other children’s literature in theology. So I was pleasantly surprised to think of the The Clown of God when reading the debut book of the brother-sister team of Paul Mitchell and Katie Broussard, Audacious Ignatius . Broussard’s illustrations have a certain childlike joy to them. She also does an incredible job of filing out a scene with subtle detail that allows further catechesis. For instance, in drawing a picture of Ignatius’s conversion one finds a sword in front of an image of Our Lady. This detail is not introduced in the text. So it provides adults the opportunities to sit with children and tell a deeper story about St. Ignatius. And like DiPaolo’s masterpiece, a parent can sit and ask the big question. In this case, what might you get rid of in order to serve God?
The words of Paul Mitchell also provide an entry into the text, albeit here more for their rhythm than anything else. At times his commitment to the rhyming verse feels like a SAT prep course as it is not easy to rhyme with Ignatius. (Perspicacious is my favorite among the bunch). All that said, Paul’s lyrics reverence the life of the saint well and challenge children to imagine themselves to be a saint.
This a lovely book and a must for any Christian library. In fact, it would sit nicely right next to The Clown of God.
Fr. Paul J. Shelton, SJ teaches theology and languages at Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland.
Felipe Witchger –
Earlier tonight, I found myself laying next to my 4-year old son, repeating the final line in my head: “God, give me a heart just as bold as Ignatius.”
Katie’s illustrations offer younger ones the opportunity to simply turn the pages and begin learning the story of this important founder and saint.
Paul brings his piercing ability to articulate big concepts in theology, history, and spirituality, with simplicity, clarity, and wit.
I believe this is the first time Paul has seriously shared this gift with the world. I hope this is just a beginning…
Give it a whirl, I doubt you’ll be disappointed.
Sue Gelderman (verified owner) –
So fun to read aloud for children AND ADULTS! The illustrations are beautifully done and help to make this book one of my favorites! You will not be disappointed! Can’t wait for this brother/sister team to delight us with more stories about our favorite Saints!
Allison –
Thank you for introducing our child to one of our favorite saints so beautifully. It is a delight to read and a visual feast. Thank you for telling the story of Ignatius in a new voice and with vibrant, clear pictures. We look forward to more in the series!
John O’Brien, S.J. –
It was a pleasure to help with the Kickstarter campaign, and now the finished product has arrived, and it is delightful. I have been struck, as have others, by how the author and illustrator hit that “sweet spot” of balancing spiritual depth and accuracy with childlike fun and word-play. I’ve already given out my first four, and will be ordering more. May they help make St. Ignatius more accessible to new generations.
Fr. John O’Brien, S.J.
Vocations Director
Jesuits of Canada
Katie Scarlett –
Audacious Ignatius is part whimsical picture book, part Lives of the Saints Jr., and part SAT prep. Who knew so many words could rhyme with Ignatius?! It has been an adventure to introduce my 5 children to a hero of the Church, as well as to ALOT of new words.
The page where Ignatius is reading about saints (Joan of Arc, Saint Patrick) has me excited for what other inspiring lives the Mitchell/Broussard duo will tackle next!
Dr. Harry Rissetto –
It’s about time that rhyme
was used to opine
on a Basque sublime
and a subject divine!
Congratulations to Paul Mitchell and Katie Mitchell Broussard on a wonderful addition to the Ignatian Athenaeum!
An enjoyable read for any age. “A love most capacious” is my favorite page!
Michelle M (verified owner) –
Beautiful book. I have ordered several of these as gifts for godchildren, my kids and Catholic friends. This book would make a great addition to a religious classroom too. I can’t wait for the next book from Corde Press! We need more Catholic books of this quality. Highly recommend.