This is a beautifully illustrated book with a near-complete assortment of the legends and known facts about Nicholas. I'm not sure why as bishop-elect, he is depicted as blond and beardless, looking about 12 years old; "youngest bishop", okay, but this is a bit over the top. Then, the reason for his ecclesiastical trial (slugging Bishop Arius who, Nicholas felt, dishonoured the Mother of God) was not given, making that story rather pointless. Finally, in the tale of the innkeeper who pickled the three little boys in a barrel, the innkeeper (or innkeepers, 3 are shown in one illustration) is oriental in complexion with black hair and slanty eyes while the little boys are blond tiny Nicholas-replicas. That's too blatantly racist for my bookshelf. Fortunately, I have Anselm Grun's beautiful book of the same title to replace this one. ( )

A blending of fact and legend about this early church bishop.

The Legend of Saint Nicholas tells the about the life of St. Nicholas. The story explains who the Saint was as a person and shows the good deeds he did. As St. Nicholas grows older and begins to travel, the story explains how St. Nicholas was persecuted for his faith, but never wavered. The books goes on to explain how people in various countries view St. Nicholas and how his image created Santa Claus. I enjoyed this book because it explained who the real St. Nicholas is, which I think many children are unaware of. I liked how the book made it a point to show how St. Nicholas never gave up his faith even though many did not approve. Although the book was very informative, I felt like it dragged on a little too long, which made me lose interest. ( )

This book tells the story of St. Nicholas and the life he led up to the time of becoming what the world knows today as Santa Claus. From a very young age he was known to be devoted to serving God and loving others. After inheriting a large amount of money from his parents, St. Nicholas set out over the land to spread Jesus' name and share what the Lord had given him. After being seen many times, both in person and dreams, to rescue and bring many back to life, the miracles of St. Nicholas spread all over the land. Soon because of his generous nature, people began to give gifts in the name of St. Nicholas.
Genre: Legend
Critique: This book is a good example of legend because it tells the story of St. Nicholas whose story has been passed down from generation to generation. It tells of his miraculous works and the goodness he shared with men.
Critique of Character:
St. Nicholas is a dynamic character because the story shares about his whole life and how he grew and developed a compassion and love for God and others that guided everything he did.
Media: collage ( )

Hynes Library:
Great book for older elementary students beginning to resource great information in a storyline setting. ( )