The Story of St. Nicholas

by Mildred Madeleine Corell Luckhardt

Other authorsGordon Laite (Illustrator)
Hardcover, 2011

Status

Available

Call number

270.2

Publication

Literary Licensing, LLC (2011), 114 pages

User reviews

LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
Mildred Correll Luckhardt tells the story of Saint Nicholas of Myra (270-343 AD) in this fictionalized biography, opening in Patara, a coastal town in Greek Asia Minor (modern day Turkey), where he was raised by his Uncle John, a Christian preacher. Nick's education in nearby Myra, his decision to
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become a priest, his many good deeds, and his elevation to Bishop of Myra, are covered in the story. So too is his friendship for the family of Thaddeus, a local nobleman in Patara who had fallen on hard times, and whose three daughters had no dowries. Luckhardt's narrative covers the way that Nicholas supplied those dowries, his custom of giving in secret, his great fondness for children, and his eventual imprisonment and then release by the Romans. The story concludes with Nicholas' death on December 6th.

The Story of Saint Nicholas is the second fictionalized story about a historical saint that I have read from author Mildred Correll Luckhardt and illustrator Gordon Laite, following upon their Good King Wenceslas, which was published four years after this, and which I read last holiday season (2018). On the whole, I don't think this one was quite as engaging, but I did enjoy it, and I appreciated learning a little bit more about the real Saint Nicholas. There is a brief, ten-page second section here, explaining how the legend of Santa Claus came to be, combining elements of Saint Nicholas and of northern European customs about a gift-giver from the north. I appreciated Luckhardt's statement that "Santa Claus is not really St. Nicholas, but a gay Christmas symbol of the way St. Nicholas gave," as I think this allows people who want to educate their children about the real saint, but also honor the Santa tradition, to reconcile the two. Recommended to anyone looking for children's books about the real St. Nicholas, and about how St. Nicholas transformed into Santa Claus.
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1960

Physical description

114 p.; 9.02 inches

ISBN

1258085615 / 9781258085612
Page: 0.2946 seconds