George and the Dragon and other saintly stories

Seventeen stories of saints are told in this colourful and funny book. ‘Were these saints bonkers?’ asks the author at the start of the book as he explains how the saints were the heroes of the Christian church in the Middle Ages. Some are well known such as St George but there are lesser known and very strange tales such as ‘St Frideswide and the Treacle Well’, ‘St Brendan who went Round in Circles’, ‘St Wilgefortis and the Bearded Bride’ and ‘St Simeon who Sat on a Pillar’.

The layout is occasionally confusing for a young reader as the main illustrations are overtyped by the narrative, with witty speech bubbles thrown in for good measure. I found it a little difficult to decide which age group this book is for. Younger children may need a slightly fuller account of each saint’s story. Brassey’s cleverly edited versions may be more suited to older children who will also appreciate the subtle humour contained in the speech bubbles.