Product Description

The day before Christmas, Nick isn’t too thrilled about being dragged along for last-minute shopping with his dad. He’s too excited about what he’ll get for Christmas this year. While Nick waits for his father, he overhears a store Santa, who tells the legend of Saint Nicholas.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #276036 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780310713272
• Condition: USED - VERY GOOD
• Notes:
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From the Back Cover
A new addition to the bestselling Legend Series, by award-winning author Dandi Daley mackall. This gentle Christmas book introduces the original St. Nicholas and tells why we give gifts in remembrance of the greatest gift of all. Nick is much more interested in contemplating his presents under the tree than he is in being dragged along for last-minute shopping with his dad. But while his father’s off shopping, Nick hears someone say his name—it’s a mall Santa, telling a group of children a story about the original St. Nick. In the long-ago story, a wealthy boy named Nicholas is moved by the sight of poor children and decides to use his family’s wealth to help the needy, starting anonymously with his less-fortunate friends. Young Nick is inspired as at last he—and young readers—understand the joy of giving. A note at the end explains how the story of this early Nicholas might have grown into the Santa Claus of legend. Bright, festive artwork accompanies the text of master storyteller Dandi Mackall, who reminds children that God gave us the greatest gift ever given. DANDI DALEY MACKALL won her first writing contest when she was ten years old with fifty words on why she wanted to be a batboy. She won, but they wouldn’t let a girl be a batboy. It was her first taste of rejection. She bounced back and has since published 400 books. Dandi lives in rural West Salem, OH, and enjoys her husband and kids, who will still, on occasion, be up for a game of family softball. GUY PORFIRIO, a native of Chicago, graduated from the American Academy of Art in Chicago and continued his training at New York’s School of Visual Arts. Guy’s passion for painting and telling a good story has inspired him to illustrate numerous books for children. Guy lives in Tucson, AZ, with his family.

About the Author
Dandi Daley Mackall is the author of over 400 books and still can’t believe she gets to write for a living, helping children of all ages grow spiritually. She and her husband, Joe, both write from rural Ohio, where they’re blessed with three children and a variety of horses, dogs, and cats.

Guy’s first successful Christmas drawing was in third grade. His teacher, Mrs. Passarelli, had instructed the class to draw Christmas trees. Upon seeing Guy’s drawing, she stopped him and told him, "That’s perfect, don’t do anything more! Don’t touch it anymore!" She held Guy’s drawing up to the class as an example of how a Christmas tree should look - an encouraging first encounter with an art director.

Customer Reviews

Jolly Old Saint Nick, simplified
You might think it would be easy to translate the real story of Saint Nicholas of Myra into picture book form so that it can be shared with children. But the task is more complex than it first appears. If you research the origins of our Santa Claus, you either come up with voluminous information about travels, miracles, and patronage; or you land on a single statement that insists that no confirmed historical facts exist about him. It's tough to boil down the facts, such as they are, and figure out an engaging way to present them to young people.

Dandi Daley Mackall takes a stab at the assignment with THE LEGEND OF ST. NICHOLAS, which puts a contemporary twist on the historical account. The book begins with a boy named Nick who goes last-minute Christmas shopping with his father. Nick is more focused on what he'd like to get for himself, not on presents for his little brothers. But he overhears a department-store Santa retelling the story of Saint Nicholas. He learns a bit about a young man who saw suffering and had enough wealth of his own to help out his friends and deposit anonymous gifts at their homes. When he later saw how much his gifts were appreciated, Saint Nicholas decided to celebrate Christmas in that fashion from that point on. Hearing this tale had its effect on real-time Nick, and in no time he was busy figuring out what to get for his family members.

The plot is nicely done, even if we don't believe that a young person can be turned around so quickly these days. Guy Porfirio's illustrations are rich in color and expression (though the text mentions that Nick is ogling CDs, not the DVDs that he is seen holding in one scene). Children might be stunned at first to see Saint Nicholas depicted as a handsome young man, not much older than themselves. But of course that's the point! And I think it is well made here. Good job!

Mackall and Porfirio are not the first ones to tackle this subject, and they surely won't be the last. Other good picture book treatments include: Marianna Mayer's "The Real Santa Claus," which provides a detailed history of Nicholas' life; Demi's "The Legend of Saint Nicholas," which streamlines a similar history and features iconic illustrations; and "The Baker's Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale" by Aaron Shepard and Wendy Edelson, which brings to life a simple and colorful American folktale of gratitude, inspired by the saint. Each one is worthy of sharing with a child during the holiday season.

Very Inspirational!
In this delightful Christmas tale we meet Nick, a young boy who must do last minute Christmas shopping for his brothers' presents. Nick isn't thrilled about this. He'd much rather get gifts than give them, but that changes when Nick overhears a mall Santa retelling the legend of St. Nicholas.

We are taken into the world of a young St. Nicholas, in this tale, and shown how his tradition of gift-giving began. The children will see how Nicholas felt compassion for the less fortunate, and wanted to bring them some happiness. The idea of showing St.Nicholas as a child brings the story down to a child's level, and makes it easier for them to relate to and understand. Very good.

This is a truly heart-warming story for the child in your life that you desire to understand the true meaning of gift-giving
The illustrations are absolutely brilliant, colorful, and life like. The expressions on the faces definitely give light to the words being read. Excellent. All in all a wonderful book that I am pleased to recommend.

Teaches Kids the Real Meaning of Christmas
In The Legend of St. Nicholas, a beautifully-illustrated picture book for kids in the four-to-eight range, young Nick comes to realize that Christmas is about more than amassing material possessions. On a last-minute shopping excursion with his father, Nick is drawn in by a store Santa's recounting of the Saint Nicholas legend. The other Nick's decision to dedicate his life to giving, rather than receiving, serves as a strong inspiration for our modern-day Nick, showing him the Christian meaning behind a religious holiday that many now experience only in a commercial, secular sense. It also uses Saint Nick's story-within-the-story to draw a clever connection between Santa Clause and Christ's birthday. My five-year-old loved this book, insisting that I give it five stars. I agree that this would make a great addition to your family's holiday book collection.

-Kevin Joseph (as reviewed for TCM Reviews)