The figure of Saint Nicholas stands apart from nearly every other Christian saint: his fame spread across empires and generations to make him one of the most recognizable Christian saints in history. But the popular perception of Saint Nicholas today diverges greatly from his original veneration as a compassionate almsgiver and defender of the poor. Saint Nicholas has been reduced to the pop culture figure of Santa Claus, a jolly old man who brings presents to good little boys and girls. This book reacquaints those boys and girls with the authentic Santa Claus—Nicholas, a man who found greatness not simply in spreading "good cheer," but in being a true icon of Jesus Christ in word and deed.
About the Author: Jim Forest is international secretary of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship and associate editor of its journal and website, In Communion. He is a recipient of the Peacemaker Award from Notre Dame University’s Institute for International Peace Studies, a prolific writer of inspirational, historical, and biographical books, and is also the author of two other children’s books available from SVS Press: St George and the Dragon and Silent as a Stone.
About the Illustrator: Vladislav Andrejev was born in St Petersburg, Russia and received a formal education in fine art book illustration. His search for deeper meaning in art led him to study iconography. Andrejev is an accomplished iconographer, teacher of iconography, and illustrator of award-winning books manifesting his unique continuation of the ancient Byzantine-Russian tradition. He is also illustrator of St George and the Dragon, available from SVS Press.
2 Reviews
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Beautiful book
I wanted a story to share with my kids about Saint Nicholas before his feast day arrived...this one is beautifully illustrated and tells the story in detail. Highly recommend!
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Saint Nicholas and the Nine Gold Coins
Well-told stories, like this one of Saint Nicholas, are gifts to our children [of] lives well-lived. Forest and Andrejev have created a tale that will enchant little ones with layers of goodness—wrapped in the cloak of iconography. I pray readers will reconsider this man we know as Santa Claus, and come to know him more fully as a man of God.
