Why is Santa Claus also called St. Nick? That was something I never understood growing up. This biography by Demi will definitely satisfy your curiosity! Known for her richly detailed and brightly colored illustrations influenced by Eastern themes, this book is a feast for the eyes as well.
The book starts with baby Nicholas, born in 280 AD in what is now Turkey. On the day he was born he "stood up in his bath and prayed to God!" Nicholas is a very devoted Christian who is upset with suffering in the world and devotes his life to easing sorrow. Appointed the youngest bishop ever, Nicholas goes on to become the patron saint of many (including butchers and prisoners!) but most importantly, children. His life story is full of miracles relating to children, and because of that his feast day on December 6th was cause for great celebration. This led to giving gifts in St. Nicholas' name during the Christmas season. Sinter Klaas, as he was known to the Dutch, came to New Amsterdam (now New York) and over time Sinter Klass was transformed into Santa Claus. The endpages are decorated with images of how Santa Claus is represented in different countries.
This book is appropriate for elementary school-aged children. It's a biography -- not a fuzzy storybook. For the younger ones, be aware that there is a wicked man in the story who kidnaps and kills three little boys, soaks them in brine and intends to serve them as food. However, Nicholas comes to their rescues and returns the boys to life. It's only four sentences and one illustration of a man wrestling with a child... but something I wanted to make you aware of. I read this to my 4-year old and I cringed as I read it, not quite sure how she would react. But I suppose if you regularly read fairy tales to your kids, it's no worse than that.
Learn More:
- Demi has also written books on other historical figures such as Ghandi, Buddha, Dalai Lama, Genghis Khan, Muhammad, King Tut, Mother Teresa, and Jesus (among others). The text for her book on Jesus is passages taken directly from the Bible and so is definitely for older children -- or even adults -- but wow, so beautiful! Actually, she's written/illustrated over 100 books, many of which are Asian folk tales.
- St. Nicholas: Discovering the Truth About Santa Claus -- Learn more about Saint Nicholas and how his feast day is celebrated all over the world. Locate St. Nicholas churches, find classroom lesson plans, crafts, games -- everything and anything about St. Nicholas!!
- Use The Legend of Saint Nicholas for a social studies lesson. Follow Nicholas' journeys using the map in the front of the book or on a globe. Identify where the Santas are from on the endpages. The Santa holding the beer stein is pretty obvious (Germany) as is the Santa with the bagpipes or a shamrock. But others are a bit tricky!!
- Official NORAD Santa Tracker: Follow Santa's journey across the globe on Christmas Eve with NORAD -- yes, the military organization that tracks airspace also helps out Santa!
- Contrary to popular belief, the modern image of Santa Claus was not created for Coca-Cola advertisements.
- Christmas Traditions Around the World: pretty self-explanatory!
