The Legend of Saint Christopher: Quest for a King (Pauline Books and Media)

There are several patron saints in the Catholic Church that people regularly pray to for God's intercession. Some of the most notable ones are St. Anthony (lost things), St. Jude (lost causes), and St. Christopher (safe travels). While this is a great practice and habit to develop, I would wager that most Catholics don't know why these great men and women are patron saints of those specific things. They just pray, which is not a bad thing, but a little knowledge goes a long way! Today, I would like to tell you about a graphic novel for tweens/teens from Pauline Books and Media called The Legend of Saint Christopher: Quest for a King.

The story begins with a Christian woman from the 3rd Century praying to the Virgin Mary every night for a child. Like Samuel's mother from the Bible, the woman promised to dedicate her child to the Lord and make sure he served God. It wasn't long before the Lord blessed them with a son. Unfortunately, her husband was a pagan, so he dedicated the child to Apollo and named him Offerus. Offerus grew up to be a giant among men. However, he was a gentle giant, who used his size and strength to help as many people as he could. Even with all the good he did in the world, he longed for a greater purpose. He wanted to serve someone bigger and stronger than himself. First, he served a worldly king, but the king was scared of the devil. After Offerus discovered this, he sought out the devil and served him. He did much evil for devil, but soon he found out that the devil was scared of Jesus. It took much searching, but he met a priest who taught him who Jesus was, baptized him, and forgave him for the sins he committed while serving the devil. He also gave him a new name (Christopher) and gave him a task of helping people cross a river that normal people couldn't cross. Christopher did this frequently, until one day he carried a child across the river who was Jesus. One day another king has Christopher captured, because Christopher was telling everyone that Jesus was the true king. Christopher ended up being martyred, but through his martyrdom the king realized that Christopher was right and Jesus was the true king.

The book is illustrated in the style of Japanese comics (also known as manga). The story is mostly serious in nature, but there are a couple of jokes/less than serious moments that are completely in character for this illustration style. The book is an easy and engaging read that will teach your children everything they ever wanted to know about St. Christopher. Be sure to check out other graphic novels from Pauline Books and Media including the recently released Saint Clare of Assisi: Runaway Rich Girl.

This book was provided to me for free by Pauline Books and Media in exchange for an honest review.