A Compelling Glance at God’s Presence
A Review of
The Island and Saint Aidan
Brandi Willis Schreiber (Author),
Micah Peek (Illustrator)
Paperback: Ancient Faith Publishing, 2026
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Reviewed by Lindsey Cornett
Today, if you ask Google Maps to suggest a route across the United Kingdom from Iona to Lindisfarne, it will respond with, “Sorry, we could not calculate directions…” Unless, that is, you want to walk. Indeed, the path is known as St. Aidan’s way because it was the journey made by a monk named Aidan around 634, when the Northumbrian King Oswald requested a missionary from Iona to aid in the conversion to Christianity of his pagan neighbors. Centuries later, the path is still complicated enough to flummox even Google. Interested pilgrims must cobble together a mix of hiking, taxis, buses, and more across rocks, moors, farmland, and coastal paths.
That journey, as adventurous as it was and may yet be, is only the backdrop to The Island and Saint Aidan, a new book by Brandi Willis Schreiber and illustrated by Micah Peek. After arriving in Northumbria, Aidan quickly realized he needed a more solitary place to connect with God, remain in prayer, and minister to his students. The Island and Saint Aidan imagines the day the monk first walked across a tidal causeway onto the island of Lindisfarne. It was there, among the tides and sea and rocky coast, that he established a monastery. As the book’s epilogue explains, “Lindisfarne has always remained a holy site, and through God’s grace, Aidan’s legacy continues to this day. Some of England’s greatest saints arose from the foundation Aidan laid.”
The book falls into a rare niche among Christian children’s literature–the early chapter book. Picture books abound, especially in recent years. Christian parents can also feel good about handing their middle- and high-schoolers The Wingfeather Saga, Narnia, or The Lord of the Rings. But what of those children who fall in between? Though they might be open to a grown-up reading aloud to them, many feel too old to pick up a picture book but are not yet comfortable with a heftier chapter book. It’s challenging to find quality books for these children in any genre, but Brandi Willi Schreiber has created one. At only 111 pages (including illustrations, a brief bibliography, and discussion questions), young readers will not find the book intimidating. At the same time, the language is rich and the story is compelling.
Each chapter is narrated from the perspective of one natural element or creature: the island, the plover, the marram grass, the rabbit, the sea, and–finally–Saint Aidan himself. The pacing and structure are expertly done, and a strong sense of anticipation builds as the reader–like Lindisfarne and her inhabitants–move ever closer to meeting the monk who will soon be their neighbor. Each narrator is imbued with their own voice and particularities, and they each experience God’s divine presence in unique ways.
The first chapter sets the scene by giving us the perspective of Lindisfarne island. Lindisfarne is separated from the mainland by a sandy causeway. “Twice a day the tide went out, and twice a day the tide came in, but the tide never quite went out or came in at the same time. Because of this, and her small fields, and her sometimes-stream, no one lived on her for long. ‘There’s nothing here,’ they said. ‘No reason to stay.’ And they left.” (Even today, the island is home to less than 200 inhabitants; Google’s satellite view gives a helpful sense of the landscape.) Narrating the first chapter, the island tells of her loneliness and occasional feelings of insufficiency, but underneath those feelings, she loves being a home to flora and fauna (some of which we’ll meet in subsequent chapters), and she is aware of her divine origins. “When she tried to remember, all she could pull up was a feeling, and that feeling was that she’d been made with love.”
Micah Peek’s beautiful line drawings add to the book’s atmospheric tone, and they keep the reader’s attention squarely on the natural landscape, until the final chapter when Aidan’s face is finally revealed. Through both text and illustration, the book conveys how God’s creation manifests divine care and presence. Even young readers come to understand how, for Aidan and for many of us, nature is connected to the practice of our faith. In the epilogue (where she provides additional biographical detail about Aidan and his place in church history), Willis Schreiber writes, “Whether or not we realize it, where we live always influences our lives and worship.”
This book is not quite hagiography and not quite adventure story. It is not a fable or an allegory. Willis Schreiber resists the traps many authors of faith-based children’s books fall into. She does not over-explain what God might be doing or thinking about a situation, she does not paint Aidan as a hero to look up to, and she does not provide moral lessons. Willis Schreiber does not try to do too much. She has written a story with artistry and skill, and she allows that story to speak for itself. The result is a thoughtful and compelling glance at just one moment in time–a moment in which God was present, a human communed with creation, and a significant transformation began.
Lindsey Cornett
Lindsey Cornett is a loud talker, obsessive coffee drinker, and lover of the written word who lives in downtown Indianapolis with her scientist husband, 3 kids, and crazy Bernedoodle. Most days, you’ll find her wrangling the dog, managing snacks, reheating her coffee, and trying to savor as much joy and gratitude as she can in the middle of these very full days. Lindsey writes a monthly-ish email newsletter about the intersections of faith, community, and curiosity at lindseycornett.substack.com.
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